You Belong
by CheerioK
Summary: How do you know that you truly belong somewhere? Can Tris and the other transfers be sure that they belong in Dauntless? Follow the initiates from the release of Stage One rankings to see how more interaction with the Dauntless-born and Dauntless members affect the transfers as they continue toward their goal of belonging to Dauntless.
1. Chapter 1: Stage One Cooldown

Al POV

The Pit is full of energy and people after dinner. I notice a menacing looking man with a shaved-head and neck tattoos chasing after a toddler who trips and falls precariously close to the edge of the chasm. A set of purple and blue-haired parents swing their giggling kindergartener over the side of a path ten feet above the pit floor. An older woman with so many piercings in her left ear that you no longer see flesh drags a middle-schooler by the arm toward a side hallway. I overhear her saying, "How many times do I have to tell you not to use your little brother for target practice?".

"Well that's not a phrase I would have ever heard in Abnegation", Tris says quietly.

Will chuckles from his spot next to Tris and nudges her with his elbow, "I'll add it to your list, Tris."

"What list?"

"The Tris list."

"What the hell is the Tris list?"

"Only all of the adorable moments our little Tris has as she sheds her grey cocoon to become a fierce black butterfly!" Christina chimes in with a grin.

"You're kidding. You just made that up," Tris says with eyes wide.

"Oh no, there is definitely a list. Its growing quite long. Might be as tall as you some day soon," I add in with a smirk. All three of us burst out laughing as Tris just growls something under her breath and quickens her steps. She leaves us behind laughing at how cute she is.

I sober as my thoughts turn to the recently released rankings for Stage One. Tris and I are both in danger of becoming factionless tomorrow. _Well, I'm in more danger than she is. _If I'm cut, I hope she is too. _Is that so wrong of me?_ I'd like her to be with me, if I have to leave Dauntless. But I know the chances of that happening are slim. _Would they really cut the first jumper?_ _Are even the lowest ranked Dauntless-born better than she is?_ I can only hope.

A voice calling out to Tris startles me from these thoughts. "Tris! What up?" comes from a guy standing in front of the tattoo parlor. A tall, muscular guy with a big grin on his face attempts to wave while holding an armful of snacks and drinks. The pretty girl next to him is catching what falls out of his arms with an affectionate smile on her face. _Dauntless-borns._ I recognize both from Capture the Flag. They were on the other team with my friends. I don't know their names, but they seem to be familiar with Tris. _Oh yeah, they were sitting with her on the train after their team won. That guy got paint all over Tris._ _Then the dumbass squeezed a paintball into his own mouth. _I remember watching them.

"Hi, Uriah. Hi, Marlene" Tris greets them both with a wide smile as the rest of our group catches up to her_. Uriah, huh? I've heard of him. He's some big shot amongst the Dauntless-borns_. _Seems more like a clown to me. _

"Hi Tris. I haven't seen you since capture the flag!" the pretty girl, Marlene, says then nods a hello to the rest of us.

"What are you guys up to? We're just waiting for Lynn then going to hang out at my brother's place. It's a bit of a party to celebrate the end of stage one" Uriah cheerfully states. "Plus, it's the first time we're getting to hang out with Zeke and his friends since they became members!"

Christina throws her hands on her hips and incredulously asks, "Why couldn't you hang out with them before now? Is there some rule that you aren't allowed to hang out with members until you become one?"

Marlene laughs at Christina as she replies, "Of course its not a rule! That's ridiculous. They just got tired of Uriah asking initiation questions every chance he got, so they banned him."

"And then punished you and Lynn for Uriah's bad behavior?" Tris asks with a smirk.

"Exactly! He's never been able to keep his trap shut" says a rather frightening looking girl with a shaved head as she exits the tattoo parlor. Her nose is red from what looks like a new nose ring.

"I can too! I'm great at keeping secrets – aren't I, Lynn?" Uriah looks pointedly at her as she looks down scowling. _Interesting. What secrets could she be hiding? Probably nothing like mine._

"They just should have answered my questions. I mean, come on! Zeke is my brother for God's sake! And Shauna is YOUR sister! Don't they want us to do well? Or would they rather we be factionless?" Uriah cries out.

Will then butts into the conversation, "Wait a minute, the transfers don't get inside information, so why should the Dauntless-born?"

Both Uriah and scary-looking Lynn stare at Will with looks of shock on their faces. Marlene just rolls her eyes at us all and opens a bag of chips.

"Why shouldn't we have an advantage? We've been Dauntless our whole lives! We don't have to prove that we belong. YOU do" Lynn snaps back at Will.

Tris has been shifting nervously from foot to foot since Will's comment. As she sees Christina about to retort and probably wanting to avoid a full-blown argument, she jumps in with a random question. "Marlene, what are you eating?" _Must have been the first thing that popped into her mind. She's so sweet that she wants us all to get along. I doubt that will ever happen though._

"It's a cheesy chip. Want some?"

Tris hesitates but looks at the snack curiously. "Uh, ok." She takes the chip Marlene hands her and tentatively takes a bite. "Wow, that's delicious!" she exclaims with big eyes and a bright smile. _So adorable._

"What, like you've never had a chip before?" Lynn scoffs. _Little does she know._ Its been rather eye-opening to see an Abnegation set free to try new things.

"No, I haven't, snacks like these are considered self-indulgent in Abnegation."

"Ugh, Stiffs" Lynn states in disgust and rolls her eyes.

Tris ignores her and happily takes the bag Marlene is holding out to her.

"Another for the Tris list!" Will smirks.

"The Tris List?" Uriah asks.

"Yeah, Dauntless is a treasure trove of new experiences for Tris. So we, as her friends, felt that they should be documented." Will looks rather smug as he says this, though I think it was Christina who started the list. He was just the one who actually wrote it all down.

"You only did that so you could laugh at me some more", Tris grumbles as she eats another chip. _Yes, that's probably true, but I think of it more as documenting a baby bird's first flight. Slowly stretching its newborn wings, hopping around a little and flapping within the safety of its nest, taking a deep breath as it prepares for flight, and then off out of the nest in a first brave soar into the sky. Tris is so delicate like the baby bird but brave, too. How did she become so brave? I wish I even had a tenth of the bravery she has. _

"What's on the list?" Uriah asks curiously as he cocks his head to the side. He looks like he's trying to decide whether to support us in our efforts or to denounce us in order to protect Tris. _Why would Tris need protection from us? She's our friend; he isn't. _

"Well, " Christina starts to explain until she's rudely cut off by Lynn, "Aren't we supposed to be somewhere? Anywhere is better than hearing about a Stiff's life discoveries." _Well isn't she just pleasant?_

"Oh yeah! We've got to get to Zeke's. And it's the PERFECT place to add to The Tris List!" Uriah exclaims with a Cheshire cat grin. _Huh, decision made then._

While Tris looks at him uncertainly and then over to Christina, Uriah grabs her arm. "Its going to be awesome! Let's go." Uriah starts dragging a somewhat reluctant Tris across the Pit. I immediately follow as I don't like seeing him with a hand on Tris. _Who is he to manhandle her through Dauntless?_

Marlene and Lynn hurry past me to catch up with them as Christina and Will join me.

"Well things just got interesting. Our first Dauntless gathering!" Christina exclaims excitedly.

I grunt in frustration and say, "Its not like they want us there. They seem to only care about Tris." I see them share a look out of the corner of my eye and know that they are reluctant to acknowledge my point. _I'm not going to let Tris out of my sight. Who knows what trick they could be playing on her? _

"At least we get to see inside a Dauntless apartment. I wonder if they have windows" remarks Will as his eyes take in the long, dark hallway our group has started to walk down.

"Windows? Why wouldn't they have windows?" Christina asks.

Will looks are her incredulously while responding, "We're underground Christina. Haven't you noticed that we've been living like trolls for the last few weeks?" He gestures to the cavern-like atmosphere and forbidding looking stairway we are about to climb. I hurry my steps so as not to lose sight of the others.

"Well, its unhealthy not to have at least a little bit of fresh air. There HAVE to be windows in the apartments. Its unhygienic otherwise and just plain wrong!" Christina complains. "Al, back me up here. Don't you think so?" she demands.

I feel them both looking over to me, but I can't stop staring at the scene in front of us. We've emerged into another dim stone hallway where Tris is chatting happily with Marlene. Lynn is trying to grab a can of soda from Uriah who keeps dodging out of the way and holding it above her head. His taunts, Lynn's growls, and the combined giggles of Tris and Marlene reach our ears.

"I don't think we should be going with them. Let's grab Tris and get those tattoos we wanted "l state. _I don't like this. I don't like this at all._ My jaw clenches as Marlene links arms with Tris and whispers into her ear. Tris' laughter rings out in the hallway before she claps a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. _Tris isn't one of them! She's one of us! We have to get her away from them. _

Will and Christina share another look before turning back to me. "Let's just try it out. If we don't like it, then we'll leave. No big deal. Besides, I want to see if Will is right about the windows" Christina says as we turn into yet another dark hallway within the maze of Dauntless. _Trolls indeed._


	2. Chapter 2:Critical Assessment

**Christina's POV**

Uriah finally stops at a door at the end of long hallway. "The leaders knew what they were doing when they assigned Zeke an end unit" he says with a crooked grin.

"What do you mean?" I ask suspiciously. _Is an end unit better or something? _

"They knew Zeke would throw the wildest, loudest, best parties in Dauntless" explains Marlene. "Not that we've been allowed to go" she adds quietly with a slight glare at Uriah, "yet." The glare doesn't quite work as I see a softness still in her eyes. _Affection maybe? Interesting, looks like someone has a crush._ I can't blame her, he is hot but seems like too much of a goofball. I prefer my nerdy ex-Erudite. I turn to flash Will a quick smile. _Well, soon to be mine with any luck._

"And they didn't want any members to barge in with guns blazing if their sleep was interrupted" Lynn adds with a smirk. "Shauna told me their closest neighbor is halfway down the hall." _Why? Dauntless love to party. _

"Why would they care?" I ask as Uriah shifts the soda in his hands to perform a rather complicated knocking sequence on the door. Tris and Will both tilt their heads to the side following his movements with intense concentration. _Why do I get the feeling they are going to test each other to see who actually caught all of that? Sometimes it seems like they both came from Erudite. Weird._

"Because nothing is worse than a grumpy, sleep-deprived Dauntless breaking up a rowdy party with gunfire, duh" says Lynn as she rolls her eyes likes its the most obvious thing in the world. _What's her problem? I just asked a question. Sheesh. Hold up, did she say gunfire? _

Lynn pushes Uriah out of the way, opens the unlocked door, and waltzes into the apartment leaving a surprised Uriah in her wake. He simply shrugs and follows her inside while the rest of us slowly cross the threshold. The apartment seems rather small but could be considered cozy. There is a small kitchen area to my right with an island separating it from the rest of the living space. A leather couch and armchair dominate the center of the room while two bean bag poofs and a couple of floor pillows are placed below the window. _Wait, window? _

"Look, Will. A window! I was right" I say triumphantly pointing to the right side of the room.

"I never said there wouldn't be a window, just that there MIGHT not be. We must not be underground anymore. Interesting, I would really like to see the blueprints of the compound or at least a map layout. You know.." I start ignoring him at this point and look around us some more. _He's so good looking but can be a real bore once he's in Erudite mode. Maybe I can break him of that? Would be fun to try. Maybe a reward system for no Erudite-related behavior? Hmm, that idea has possibilities. I'll need new lingerie, though. Shopping trip! _

I'm brought back to the present as Uriah finally moves further into the apartment so the rest of us aren't stuck in the doorway anymore. Well, except for Al. He still has that annoyed scowl on his face as he leans against the open door. Maybe we should have just let him go to bed like he wanted. One pleading look and a please from Tris with a reminder that she could be factionless tomorrow, too, and he was up and ready to go in a flash. I think she gave him too much hope that he won't be friendless and alone on the streets. _Tris will be fine. She's not going to be factionless. She can't be. I can't lose her._

Knowing this was not the time for such thoughts I turn back toward the living area. I can now see a shorter and stockier version of Uriah in a standoff with a curvy brunette. _Ooh, nice top. Sadly, I don't have big enough boobs to fill that out. I shouldn't complain though, I have more than Tris! _

"Zeke, you're being ridiculous. This painting would look perfect right on this wall."

"But that's where my new stereo system is going! I already have it picked out. Just a few more pay days and its mine!"

"If someone else doesn't buy it out from under your nose, Zeke!" says a girl I just noticed in the far corner. She's standing next to a tall, muscular guy who turns as we move further into the room. _Oh, crap! Its Four. What is HE doing here? Doesn't he scare us enough during training? I don't want to deal with him on our night off! _

"Instructor alert" I say to Will and Al as I nod to the corner where Four is now staring at us with a stone-cold expression. _Ugh, just great. We've pissed him off by even being here. _

"Regretting your choice to move in already, Shauna?" Lynn says as she sits on a barstool on the far side of the island.

The arguing couple looks startled and then finally realize all of us are standing in the entryway with the apartment door wide open. Not_ the most observant are they? Way to be on your toes! _I try to hold in a snicker but end up snorting loudly. Marlene and Tris both turn to me with puzzled expressions, though Marlene also looks like she's trying not to giggle.

"Are you ok, Christina?" Tris asks. I just nod and hold my hand out for a chip in an attempt to distract her. She smiles and gives me a handful before sharing with Will and All, as well.

The girl next to Four now let's out a very unladylike growl as she sees our group. She whiningly says, "Don't I see you three enough? What are you doing here?"

"But Lauren, we're your favorites!" Marlene exclaims as she skips over and throws her arms around the other girl in a big hug. After trying not to return the embrace something Marlene whispers makes Lauren laugh and hug her back. _Lauren! I forgot what she looks like. So the two Initiation instructors hang out together? I wonder if they're a couple. Hmm, doubt it. Four is by far a 10, and I would barely give her a 5. Besides all he did was sidestep away from Lauren when Marlene approached them. Not very loving. _

I'm startled out of my thoughts as Zeke yells out, "Fresh Meat! Yes, this night just got a whole lot better." I don't like the grin on his face or the way he's now rubbing his hands together, and I start to wonder if coming here was a good idea_. Wait, if I want to belong in Dauntless, I better get used to spending time with others members._ _Even if one of them is slightly diabolical. _

Tris follows Uriah into the kitchen to put down the snacks as Zeke saunters over to us. He eyes Tris for a second before sending his brother a teasing look. "Still picking up strays, Uriah?" he says.

"You have one, why can't I?" Uriah shoots back. _What the hell does that mean?_

Zeke lets out of laugh and glances behind him. He quickly turns back around and says, "You better watch yourself, little bro." Curious, I look behind him, too, but only see Four glaring in Uriah's direction. _Not like that's any different from Four's usual expression. He seriously needs to chill out._

Zeke now turns to the three of us still hovering by the door. "Hi there, I'm Zeke, as you might have heard. Welcome to my humble abode." He sweeps his arms wide and gives us a deep bow.

"OUR humble abode" his other half interjects. She and Four are now talking quietly in the far corner. _Why do I get the feeling they're talking about us? Oh, because they are. Not very subtle, Four! _Four is now boldly looking at Will, Al, and I as he whispers to Shauna. _Fine then, I'll just have to charm Zeke before the other decide that they don't want us here._

"Why thank you good sir" I say as I drop into a graceful curtsey. _Well, I hope its graceful anyway._ Zeke and Tris laugh at my efforts, and Will flashes me a bright smile. _Nicely done, Chris. You've got this!_

Uriah tries to introduce us, but Zeke cuts him off. _Does Uriah even know what our names are?_

"No need Uri, I think I can figure this out" Zeke says. He looks at Tris with a small smile on his face then turns to the rest of us. _What was that smile about? _"Well, I can at least guess your birth factions accurately." His grin fades as he starts to intently study us.

"Big guy – Candor." Al nods at him warily. _It wouldn't hurt him to try to have fun tonight would it? He might not have much of a chance of staying in Dauntless but the rest of us do. I don't want his surly demeanor scaring this group away. _

"Other guy – Erudite. You've got the look of a Nose."

"I'm Will, FORMERLY Erudite," Will states through a clenched jaw. _He really hates being called a Nose._

I try to give Zeke my best innocent expression as he turns to me and narrows his eyes critically. "New girl – Candor." _Crap, how did he know? _

"You don't think I could pass for Amity?" I ask him with a bit of a pout.

"Not a chance. Besides, we hardly have anyone transfer from there. They think we're too mean" Zeke says with a raise of his eyebrows and big grin. "Its usually Candor and Erudite, so I had a 50/50 shot. You seemed more the Candor type," he explains with a bit of a shrug.

"What does that mean?" I exclaim, but Zeke just laughs and turns to Tris. _Of course, he ignored me. How rude! I could pass for Erudite at least. Should have given him my best nerd look instead. _

"And the Abnegation one. First jumper, Tris!" Zeke shouts and puts his hand up for five.

"What, do I have it plastered to my forehead or something?" she replies as she awkwardly slaps Zeke's raised hand. _Damn, they do seem to give her a lot of credit for jumping first. I was second, but no one ever remembers that!_

"Ha! You're funny, but no. The entire faction always knows who the first jumper is. They remember us" Zeke brags as he puffs his chest out and puts an arm around Tris. She stiffens at the contact. Al let's out a deep growl from the doorway causing the four of us to turn and look at him.

"Abnegation," he says and gestures at Tris. "They don't like to be touched," he practically spits out at Zeke.

"Oh crap, sorry! I always forget that," Zeke apologiZes and jumps away from Tris.

She waves him off saying it's alright. Tris looks at Al with pursed lips and an annoyed glare before turning back to Zeke.

"You said, they remember us?" with emphasis on the last word.

"Of course! I was first jumper, too" he boasts.

"Oh please, more like first belly flop," his girlfriend teases as she walks over to us with Four in tow. She ignores Zeke's spluttering and introduces herself. "I'm Shauna, Lynn's big sister and Zekes long suffering girlfriend," she says with a smile and a glance at each of us in turn. _Its like she is inspecting us to see if we meet her standards. Not exactly welcoming though her words say otherwise._

She turns back to Tris with a much warmer smile and says, "Zeke WAS first jumper, technically. He jumped onto the ledge and quickly turned around to yell something at the rest of us."

"-it was going to be incredibly profound!" Zeke interrupts as he pops the cap off of a beer bottle.

"I'm sure," Shauna says as she rolls her eyes. "He turned too quickly, lost his balance, and ended up falling face first into the net."

We all start to laugh. Even Four cracks a smile. _That would have been a lot better than being terrified when Tris just jumped like it was no big deal. Ugh, that was awful. _

"He was quite the screamer," Lauren says from her spot beside Lynn. "Tris, on the otherhand, was silent. Well, until she hit the net and started LAUGHING. Its unheard of for someone to laugh after that fall. Lots of cursing. Lots of crying. Lots of screams. But never any laughter until you." _She laughed? I was terrified looking over that ledge wondering what happened to her, and she laughed? _I can't keep my mouth from falling open in shock.

"Have to be unique, don't you, Tris?" Will comments while shaking his head at her. His eyes are sparkling though like he's amused. _Amused? Annoyed is more like it. _Al is just standing there looking angry. _What's he so pissed about? He didn't have to jump next just because he'd wandered to the ledge to make sure his new friend was ok. Everyone just assumed I was volunteering to go next! _

"I can't believe you laughed. Do you understand how terrifying it was to watch you disappear?" I know my voice is coming out shrill, but I can't help it. Sometimes I wonder if a good shake would wake Tris up to the world outside of the bubble she seems to be in.

"It was laugh or cry, and I chose to laugh" Tris defends herself while her cheeks turn pink.

I'm about to retort when Four breaks in, "Initiates, relax. You have tonight and tomorrow free. Left off some steam. You've earned it. No drinking though, stick to soda and water." He looks us each in the eye as he says this. I notice he frowns a little at Al before his eyes soften just a bit when looking at Tris. _Must have to do with Al letting Tris take his place when Four threw those knives. Al lost all of Four's respect, but Tris must have earned some. Maybe that's why she got 6__th__? I was shocked she outranked Drew. Thankful, but shocked. _

"Oh yes! So good! Oh, so, so good!" Uriah cries out. My head snaps around to see him holding a plate of what looks like chicken wings and macaroni and cheese. He's moaning with each bite.

I can't help but snort, "Uriah! You sound like you're having the best sex of your life."

"He's 16, all sex is the best sex of his life," Lauren says with a smirk and a wink. We all burst out laughing. All but Tris that is. She ducks her head as her blush becomes even more noticeable. _Ah, our little Abnegation girl is uncomfortable. _I whisper, "Tris list" to Will and point at her. He just chuckles and rolls his eyes.

"Hey! Eating Mom's chicken wings and Lynn's mom's mac and cheese is an orgasmic experience," Uriah defends.

The room continues to chuckle as Zeke says, "Well then that's our cue to all dig in!" He turns to Al with raised eyebrows as the rest of us move forward eagerly toward the food. "Hey big guy, shut the door!" Al slowly nods at Zeke as he gingerly moves into the apartment and the door closes with a soft click. _That's it! We're in! For tonight, if not forever, we are part of Dauntless. _


	3. Chapter 3: The First Game

**AN: I included Candor or Dauntless here because I think its a great why for everyone to get to know one another, test each other, and have fun. I'm also using it as a tool to bring the transfers closer to the Dauntless-borns and members much earlier than in canon. Though, I hope you still enjoy it! Here is Part One. **

Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent, just borrowing the characters for a little while.

**Chp 3: The First Game**

**Tris POV**

I take the plate that Shauna offers and stare uncertainly at the food options before me. Though we only ate dinner an hour ago, I was so nervous about the rankings that I just picked at my meal. Now the delicious smells in this kitchen are making my stomach grumble in anticipation. I grab two chicken wings that look to have a sticky brown sauce on them and a large spoonful of what I think Uriah called mac and cheese. Then as inconspicuously as possible, I move to a spot in the corner of the kitchen in an attempt to inspect my portion without any witnesses.

Unfortunately, Uriah anticipated me and bounds over to my secluded corner with a big grin on his face. "Alright Tris, its time! Time to take another step away from Abnegation. Time to taste heaven," he proclaims loudly. The noise level drops as heads turn in our direction. _Great, just great. Its like the videos we watched in school about zoo animals. I may have been released from my native habitat of Abnegation to the wilds of Dauntless, but this is getting ridiculous. _

"Uriah, you're being creepy. Why are you hovering over poor Tris like that?" Shauna asks. She and Zeke both look bewildered until Christina pipes up.

"Because Tris has spent her life so sheltered that she hasn't been able to eat anything the Abnegation considered indulgent," she states while gesturing to the items on the counter. "She had never even had a soda before coming to Dauntless, "she finishes with a smirk.

The rest of the room now nods in understanding except for Four. He catches my eye and holds my stare for just a moment before calling out to Zeke. "Hey Zeke, toss me a beer." This is quickly followed by Lynn piping up, "me too!" Just like that heads turn and the attention is taken away from me as Lauren informs her initiates of the no alcohol rule. An argument erupts, and Uriah leaves my side to enter the frey.

I smile gratefully at Four whose eyes are still locked on mine. He nods slightly in acknowledgement and quirks an eyebrow at me questioningly. _He can't seriously think I'm going to eat while he's still watching me? Oh well, I guess he can be rewarded for saving me. _I break our stare and roll my eyes at him as I pick up my fork. Spearing a piece of the pasta, I take a first tentative taste and then close my eyes in appreciation. _This is incredible! Almost as good as Dauntless cake. _When I open my eyes again, Four is smirking at me in amusement though his eyes have gotten darker with an unknown emotion. He takes a long sip of his beer before moving out of the kitchen. _What was that look for? Why did he save me from the others? _

I shake my head to rid myself of thoughts of Four and notice Zeke and Uriah wrestling in front of the couch. _Uh oh, what did I miss? _A cheer breaks out as Zeke successfully pins Uriah to the floor facedown. Zeke is sitting on his back holding Uriah's left arm and right leg behind his body. _That must not be as painful as it looks since Uriah is laughing. _

"Say Zeke is the world's best brother, and he so much stronger, braver, and handsomer than me," Zeke tells Uriah.

"Handsomer isn't even a word, you moron!" Uriah counters back.

"Just say it!"

"Fine, Zeke is the world's best brother."

"And the rest?"

"Seriously, Zeke. Mom told us that its not nice to lie."

"Mom's not here. Now say it or remain in this position for the rest of the night."

Four cuts in, "Zeke, he's not going to be able to walk if you hold is leg like that for much longer. Do you really want him sleeping here tonight?"

"Oh hell no! He is not ruining freaky time by staying here," Zeke declares and jumps off of his brother.

Lynn groans, "Really Shauna? You couldn't find anyone better than the guy who calls sex FREAKY TIME?" Shauna just laughs and suddenly grabs Lynn around the neck. Lynn is strong, but Shauna surprised her and manages to get Lynn in a headlock. She rubs her free hand over Lynn's shaved head.

"Oh its so good to have my baby sister back with us! And this wonderfully buzzed head is PERFECT for noogies!" Shauna exclaims with a wide grin on her face.

We all laugh as Lynn attempts to break free of her sister's hold. "I'm not your baby anything! Get off me!" Lynn yells. She knees Shauna in the thigh forcing her older sister to let go with a cry, "Oww! When did you get so freakishly strong?"

As the sisters continue to bicker, I finish my plate of food. I'm happily taking it all in. _This is living! The laughter, the fun, the __camaraderie __ of Dauntless is amazing. I love it here! I only hope I can stay._

Zeke interrupts everyone with a shout, "Listen up! I declare a game night. What game you ask?" He glances around the room with an evil grin as his eyes settle on Christina and Will who are leaning against the opposite wall. "Its time to truly initiate the newbies. Let's play," he pauses for dramatic effect, "Candor or Dauntless!"

"Oh yeah! This is going to be epic!" Uriah shouts while pumping his fists in the air.

I'm not sure whether to be excited or scared. _A game? I don't even know when I last played a game. What does Candor or Dauntless even mean? _I must look confused because Al is next to me in a flash asking if I'm alright. "What is Candor or Dauntless?" I ask him.

He doesn't get the chance to reply. Zeke had come back into the kitchen area for another beer and heard my question. "Oh Tris! Sweet, innocent Tris. You poor, poor dear, " he says in a singsong voice as he drapes an arm around me and starts to guide me into the living area. "There is so much to teach you and so little time. Candor or Dauntless is truth or dare. You pick Candor and have to answer a question truthfully. You pick Dauntless and have to complete a dare. If you choose not to answer or do the challenge, you must remove an item of clothing."

He leaves me with that explanation, and I'm standing stock still in the middle of the living room. I know my eyes are wide as I think over what the rules are. _Truth, dare or get naked? Is he serious? Can I do this? Yes, I can do dares. I stood in front of Four while he threw knives at me. Dares can't be worse than that! But truths? I have too many secrets and not enough clothes on. _

I'm staring down at my outfit – a black tank top, jeans, and combat boots. A can of soda enters my line of sight. "Here," Four says, and I take the soda from him. He whispers in my ear, "Act cold and catch Shauna's eye. She'll offer you a sweatshirt or something." I can only nod as Four walks away. I'm too stunned and confused to even thank him for the drink. _Apparently Four doesn't want to see me strip. Not that I can blame him. My body is nothing like the other girls here. _

I take a sip from the soda he gave me then wrap my arms around myself. I rub my hands up and down my upper arms. When I look up Shauna and Four are standing together across the room, and both are looking at me. Shauna smirks at Four then comes over to my rescue. "Cold, Tris? I might have a sweater that will fit you," she says and leads me toward an open door at the far end of the living area.

"You don't mind?"

"Of course not." We walk into a bedroom where clothes are practically spilling out of the closet. She rummages through them for a second before saying, "Here," and handing me a black hoodie that zips up in front. I smile gratefully and put it on. It's a little big but not overly so. _The fit reminds me of my Abnegation clothes. _This thought makes me smile until I notice Shauna inspecting me. She stands in front of me, pushes the sleeves up my arms in a fashionable manner, and adjusts how the fabric hangs off my shoulders. With a final nod she says, "Not bad. Now lets see what you're made of. Time to play."

I find a spot on the floor next to Christina. She and Lynn snagged the bean bag poofs, though Lynn dragged hers away from the window. She's now between the couch and the armchair. I lean back on the enormous pillow behind me and smile at Al as he sits next to me on the floor. "Have you ever played before?" I ask Al. He hasn't said much since we arrived. _He's probably just worried about tomorrow and the cuts. I hope he can stay. I would hate to lose a friend. Well, I hope we BOTH can stay. I would hate to become factionless. _

Al nods, "Its popular in Candor, too, but I didn't play much. If you rather not play, I don't mind leaving. We could go for a walk or back to the dorms. Or even get those tattoos that we talked about." Al looks at me so earnestly its almost like he's begging me to go. _I don't want to leave. I'm having fun. I might be a bit nervous about the game, but this is so much better than hanging out in the dorm. _

"I'm ok, thanks though. I'd like to give the game a try. If you're uncomfortable, though, its ok if you want to go back. You shouldn't feel like you have to stay if you aren't having any fun." Al looks crestfallen as I say this, but it doesn't change my resolve to stay.

Looking around the room, I see Four at the end of the couch across from Al. Shauna is next to him, though there is a large gap since she is practically in Zeke's lap. Lauren is sitting on the floor leaning back against the couch between Four and Shauna's legs. She seems to be trying to get Four's attention, but he isn't looking at her. I realize that he's staring at Al with a frown. Just then I feel Al's arm brush up against mine as he changes position. He's a lot closer to me now than he was before. _I wonder if he's uncomfortable sitting on the floor. He's giving me a weird look. Maybe he'd like the pillow? _"Here Al, you can have the pillow. I can lean against Christina's bean bag. Maybe you'll be more comfortable then." Al looks surprised and somewhat displeased.

"We could share it," Al says while looking at me with large eyes. _Share it?_ I look at the pillow uncertainly. _Two of me could share it comfortably, but definitely not me and Al! _"Uh, no thanks. I don't need it," I say and push the pillow into his hands. I scoot closer to Christina who gives me a bright smile. _Its nice to see her so happy and excited about something other than shopping! _

I'm brought out of my thoughts as I hear muffled laughter coming from the couch. Lauren's head is in her hands, but I can see her shoulders shaking. Shauna has her face buried in Zeke's shoulder. Zeke's eyes are closed, and he's biting his bottom lip like he's trying to stop himself from speaking. In confusion, I look over at Four who is smirking. His eyes are twinkling in amusement. _What's so funny? What did I miss? _

"Ok, ok, let's get this game started. I'll go first," Zeke gets control of himself and says loudly. "In honor of your return to our glorious presence, dear brother, I choose YOU. Candor or Dauntless?"

"Dauntless! I ain't no pansycake," he says. Groans erupt around the room.

_Did he just say pansycake? _I look at Christina for clarification, but she looks as baffled as I am. "You made that word up, didn't you?" she accuses Uriah.

"No way! It's a Dauntless insult."

"Was a Dauntless insult," Lynn cuts in. "Uriah thinks he can singlehandedly bring it back," she huffs while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Anyways! I dare you to FINALLY tell the girl you like about your feelings. You've been a whiny, lovesick puppy for too long. Get off your ass and do something about it," Zeke finishes with a huff.

Uriah's gone pale and glances nervously around the room. He then nods to himself and quickly stands up from the armchair. In his haste, he knocks Marlene off her perch on the arm of the chair. She topples to the floor with a squeak, "Eek!".

Zeke guffaws loudly and says, "Not off to a good start, are you Uriah? Doubt she'll even listen to you now!" _ He likes Marlene? Does she have feelings for him? She was eyeing him on our walk here, but she also flirted with Four during Capture the Flag. Well, she has good taste at least. Four and Uriah are both quite handsome. _

Uriah sinks to his knees next to Marlene who is still sprawled out on the floor. She looks stunned as Zeke's words sink in then looks at Uriah with a bright smile. "You like ME?" she squeals.

He nods his head tentatively, "Yeah, Mar. I, uh, I." Uriah doesn't get a chance to finish as Marlene launches herself at him. She wraps her arms around his neck and presses a kiss to his lips. After a moment of surprise, Uriah returns the embrace and slips his arms around her. As they continue to kiss, I realize I'm staring and quickly look to the floor. I can feel the blush heating my cheeks. _I'm happy for them, but they can really stop kissing now. _

Suddenly Lynn shouts, "Ok, fine! We get it. You're into each other. Now stop sucking face and get back to the game." _She looks really annoyed. Wonder if she feels left out? Her two best friends did just decide to be a couple. And are now cuddling together in the armchair. _I quickly look to the floor again as I feel my blush return. _This is Dauntless. People here are used to public displays of affection. I have to get used to it._

"Ok, thanks for that, Zeke. Its my turn," Uriah says with a slight smile on his face. He looks around the room, and his eyes settle on Four. "Four, Candor or Dauntless?"

Four's eyes widen slightly. He seems surprised that Uriah picked him. He coolly replies, "Candor."

"Pansycake!" Uriah yells. _Oh my God, did he really just call Four of all people a pansycake? _

"What did you say to me initiate?" Four grits out. The glare on his face and anger in his voice causes Uriah to visibly pale. Uriah's eyes are as wide as saucers.

"Well, it's the normal response when someone chooses Candor," Uriah explains, though his voice gets weaker and weaker until the word Candor is nothing more than a whisper.

"It shouldn't be. It often can take more bravery to tell the truth than to complete a dare. Even by refusing to answer the question you are showing a vulnerability. It takes guts to do that. So I would think again before insulting me, initiate. Got that?" Four growls out with a fiercesome scowl on his face. He didn't yell, but even the quietly spoken words can be heard clearly throughout the room. Its as if we're all holding our breath and waiting to see what Four will do. _He's right, though. It would take more courage than I possess for me to share my most closely guarded secret. Much more courage than to do any dare they can think of. I don't like to admit weakness but taking a layer of clothing off would reveal a weakness to the entire group. What would they do with that information? _

Uriah has sunk deeply into the armchair. He seems to be regretting his outburst. Marlene even lets out a whimper from her spot on Uriah's lap. Uriah audibly gulps then loudly clears his throat. "Got it," he says then gathers himself as he thinks of a question. "So, huh, Four? I've been curious to know this since I met you. What's your real name?" _So I was right. He is a transfer._

Zeke groans while Shauna and Lauren both crack smiles. "And now the jacket come off," Shauna says while rolling her eyes.

"Dude, he gets asked that every time we play the game and has never answered it once!" Zeke laughingly tells us.

Four just looks at Uriah without expression and slowly removes his jacket. _So he's revealed a vulnerability. Is this the only one the group knows? I wonder who else knows of his fear of heights. _

"Seriously? After that speech you just gave?" Christina exclaims while throwing her hands up into the air in exasperation.

"I did say that it often takes bravery to not answer and show a weakness," Four counters.

"Is your name really so horrible that you won't tell anyone what it is? Seriously, it can't be that bad. Tris changed hers, thank God," she gestures to me. "Could you imagine calling her BEATRICE? Ick, sorry Tris, but the Abnegation need to work on their name selection." _I don't disagree, but Beatrice isn't that bad is it?_

I hear Zeke murmur, "Little do you know, Candor. Little do you know." Shauna elbows him in the ribs to get him to stop talking. _What does he mean? _

Before Christina can reply Four cuts in, "Are you done?"

Christina rolls her eyes with a sigh, "You aren't going to tell us, are you?"

"No. Moving on. Will, Candor or Dauntless?"

Will looks shocked that Four picked him and fumbles for a second like he's debating with himself the pros and cons of choosing either option. _Which, let's face it, he's probably doing. _He finally settles on, "Candor," and glances quickly at Uriah.

Uriah just smiles a little and whispers, "Pansycake" at Will. We all laugh, and I see Four roll his eyes.

"Why do you miss Erudite so much?" Four asks Will. _Wait, I didn't know Will missed Erudite that much. I know he misses his sister, but he seems happy to be here in Dauntless. And why would Four know? Its not like he and Will talk much. Do they? _

Feeling like I've missed something, I see Will take a deep breath and launch into what I assume will be a long-winded explanation. I look back to Four and see a slight shift in his expression. His eyebrow on the right side has quirked up a little, and he's almost smiling. Just on the right side, though. _No, that's not a smile. It's a smirk. Why does he look so satisfied? _I ponder this as Will continues to explain himself.

"Well, I miss my sister and the familiarity the most. I'm still getting a bit lost around here, " Will says with a self-depracating chuckle. "Also, I appreciate the strive for knowledge that the Erudite have. Though it was terribly boring to just be studying and experimenting all the time, I enjoyed the learning aspect of life there. I initially felt fulfilled in that with all of the new skills we were learning here, but now it feels like my muscles are a bit on autopilot. We've just been fighting and haven't revisited guns or knives in awhile."

As Will rambles on I realize why Four looks so smug. _Oh no! Four didn't know if Will missed Erudite. He assumed Will does but asked the question in such as way as to get Will to confirm and explain all at once. I knew Four was smart. _Four catches me looking at him. I give him a small smile and nod my head slightly in acknowledgement of his questioning prowess. His smirk grows in response as he slightly nods back to me before returning his attention to the still rambling Will.

Al must have seen our exchange because he nudges me with his elbow. "What was that about?" he asks.

"Oh, its nothing," I say and turn back to Will.

"So I'm really looking forward to Stage Three because you said it was more about the mental component. Being from Erudite may even give me an edge. I hope at least. So yeah, that's why I miss it," Will finally finishes.

"Alright then. So you do miss Erudite. Good to know," Four says.

Lynn snorts like she can't hold her laughter in anymore. We all turn to her. "First of all, we didn't need a dissertation. Secondly, a Dauntless would have thrown that sort of question right back in Four's face, " Lynn says while shaking her head at Will. "You ended up acknowledging both that you do miss Erudite AND why by answering that one single question, dumbass."

"Lynn, be nice!" Shauna scolds her sister. She then turns to Will, "You do really need to step up your defensive game, though, if you're going to survive here. Plus Stage Three may be mentally-focused, but its nothing that Erudite could have EVER prepared you for. Besides, you have to get through Stage Two first. No ONE is prepared for that. Just saying,"she informs Will. "Oh, and its your turn." _Four told us the first day that Stage Two is about emotional preparedness. I feel emotionally drained already. _

Will looks annoyed with Lynn and calls on her, "Lynn then, Candor or Dauntless?"

Lynn smirks as she snarkily says, "Dauntless".

"Ok then, prove how Dauntless you are. I dare you to stand in front of a target as Four throws three knives at you. You can't flinch, or he gets three more," Will challenges her.

"What! That's crazy. Lynn don't do it," Marlene shouts.

"Why not? Tris did," Will points out to the shock of the rest of the room that weren't there that day. I feel my cheeks burn as the attention shifts to me.

"The Stiff? No way!" Lynn shouts.

My head snaps up at this. _I hate that they think I'm weaker than they are just because I came from Abnegation. _"Yes, I did! Three knives, no flinching, and he even cut my ear with the last one."

A chorus of disbelieving yells breaks out as everyone looks from me to Four in shock. _Are they shocked I stood there without flinching or that Four actually threw knives at me? Has to be the not flinching part. _

"What the hell, Four?" Lauren demands. "Why would you do such a thing?"

Four just looks down at her and says one word, "Eric." And that is enough for all to understand. _Sadistic, twisted, evil Eric strikes again. _

"Tris, little Tris! What in the world did you do to insight Eric's wrath?" Zeke asks in wonderment. _I'm beginning to like Zeke, but I wish he didn't see me as some little kid that needs protecting. _

Al breaks in at this point, "Sh, she, she did it for me." I can hear the pride in Al's voice, and it disgusts me.

"Eric was being a bully. Al was struggling with throwing knives, and Eric challenged him to stand in front of the target without flinching or be factionless. I knew he couldn't do it, not after the verbal abuse he'd already endured from Eric. So I, I..." I trail off not knowing how to explain what I had been thinking.

"So you got into the middle of an argument that you had no business being a part of, " Four declares with a scowl.

"I was trying to help a friend!" I counter back.

"You sacrificed yourself. You were being an Abnegation," Four accuses me. His words have the effect of a bucket of ice being dumped over my head. _I showed my Divergence, and Four knows it. _I can feel my heart start to beat more rapidly.

Shockingly, Uriah challenges Four, "That's not fair, Four! All of the transfers show their upbringing at some point. Hell, Christina and Will already did tonight. You can't expect them just to drop sixteen years of training overnight. Plus, I think Tris showed how Dauntless she is at the same time. It took bravery to stand up to Eric and guts to face those knives." He then turns to me, "Good job, Tris. I wish I had seen it."

Silence reigns around the room. Everyone seems stunned by this whole exchange. _Uriah just stood up to Four for me. He's a true friend. _"Thank you, Uriah," I say quietly.

"Well, I can't be shown up by a Stiff. Let's do this," Lynn stands up and walks out of the apartment. We all scramble to follow her.


	4. Chapter 4: The Game Continued

_Disclaimer - I do not own Divergent or its characters, sadly. _

**C****hapter 4: The Game Continues**

Christina links arms with me as we enter the hallway. She leans in to whisper conspiratorially, "So, what do you think? Are we being accepted into the pack? Do you like everybody? Are you as weirded out that Four is here as I am? And what's with not telling anyone his real name? That's just bizarre. Makes me wonder what he's hiding. So, tell me you think!" _Did she just say all of that in one breath? _I laugh quietly and squeeze Christina's arm in response.

"I think they currently like us simply for being new. I don't think they have accepted us yet, though. We have a ways to go to prove ourselves. Haven't you noticed how intently the members are studying us? You, Will, Al and I were all in a row across from them. Four started the interrogation with Will, but I bet the rest are just waiting for their turns. We're being graded whether formally or not, " I whisper back seriously.

"Well, everyone loves a new toy, I guess!" Christina says with a smirk. She then does a double take and really looks at me. Or rather, she looks at the hoodie I'm wearing. "I didn't pick that out for you. It's nice, but a bit too big. Doesn't show your figure at all! You hate shopping, so where'd you get it?"

"Shauna," I say. "She saw that I was cold and was nice enough to let me borrow this. I like it. Its cozy, " I finish and look at her defiantly. _I don't always have to wear form fitting clothes. And I don't always have to wear things that only Christina picks out. _

Lauren unlocks the door to the training room, and we all file inside. Four, Lynn, and Will are huddled together speaking in harsh whispers. _I don't think Four is happy about being a part of this again. _Four suddenly throws his hands up in defeat and marches to the knife cabinet. Lynn determinedly walks over to a target across the room, while Will comes to stand with Christina and me. "I think I truly pissed Four off now, " Will tells us. "He didn't like that we just assumed he'd be willing to take part. Lynn badgered him into it."

We watch as Four absently spins a knife in his right hand. "Last chance to back out of this and have Will choose a different dare," Four says to Lynn.

"I told you already, Four. If the Stiff can do it, I definitely can."

"Tris," he emphasizes, "had the added benefit of me being sober at the time. I've had a couple of beers so my aim may not be as accurate." _When he threw them at me, he was also exhausted. I remember the dark circles under his eyes. His aim was perfect, though. Will two beers really affect him so much? _

"All the better. Makes it more of a challenge for me to stand still and trust you then."

Four looks off to the left side of the room where Shauna stands with Zeke. She stares at her sister for a second, then gives Four a slight nod. Lynn squares her shoulders and stands tall as Four takes a deep breath, aims, and lets the first knife fly. It lands just to the right of Lynn's left arm pinning her shirt to the wall. He doesn't give anyone time to comment. The second knife is released with a quick flick of his wrist. This one thuds into the board above Lynn's shoulder. It just catches the edge of her shirt and, again, pins the fabric to the wall. I only see the glint of steel as the final knife spins through the air before stopping at the top of the bullseye. This also happens to be mere centimeters above Lynn's head.

A collective sigh of relief is heard throughout the room, and Marlene starts to clap. A few others join in and shout their appreciation for Lynn's daring. "Thanks for not stabbing my sister, Four. Though, you could have aimed a bit higher with that last one," Shauna says with a quick pat on Four's upper arm.

Four's lips quirk up in a half smile, "I did." Shauna pales a little then just shakes her head as Zeke starts laughing behind her.

"Well, at least you didn't cut her like you did Tris," Zeke says while still chuckling.

Four turns his head and locks eyes with me, "I had to. Eric would have made me keep throwing until I did. She stood up to him, so he was out for blood."

I can't hold Four's stare as his words register in my brain and hang my head. _So that's why he did it. He nicked my ear so that I didn't have to stand there anymore, and I accused him of being sadistic like Eric. I screamed at him even though he saved my life the night before. He was trying to protect me from my own folly. _

"Tris, you ok?" Christina asks. I can only nod as these thoughts overwhelm me. "Cheer up. Lynn just figured out that she's pinned to the board!" Christina giggles and steers me toward the front of the room with an arm wrapped around my shoulders. I can't help but smile.

Lynn is grumbling under her breath as she tries to reach up with her right arm to pull the knife out from above her shoulder without ripping the shirt. Her fingers aren't long enough to touch the blade's handle. Its angled up toward the ceiling. She knows everyone is amused with her attempts to break free, and she's not happy about it. Finally, Lynn looks as us with a fierce scowl on her face and tugs her left arm free. There is a large hole in the sleeve of her shirt. She then yanks the second knife out from the board before pulling her shirt off completely.

"Whoa, there! You completed the dare. No need to get naked," Zeke yells while shielding his eyes.

Lynn ignores him and uses one of the knives to cut the sleeves from her shirt. She artfully cuts at the collar to widen the opening. This removes the hole in the shoulder area. Satisfied with her handiwork, Lynn puts the shirt back on and faces the room. "I believe its my turn. Stiff, Candor or Dauntless?"

I stare at her stupidly for a second. I was still getting over the fact that she whipped her shirt off in front of all of us and then remade it. Her calling me "Stiff" makes me straighten my spine and stand tall, though. _I don't want her to question my right to be here anymore than she already does. _"Dauntless," I say precisely and clearly.

Lynn's lips twitch a little as she declares what my challenge will be, "Jump into the net again, right now in the dark, and blindfolded."

She looks smug as she says this and that makes me even more determined to do this dare. _Besides, the hardest part of the fall before was not knowing what was on the bottom. Now I know. _

"Which way to the roof?" I ask. The Dauntless cheer as my friends look at me with concern. Four just shakes his head with another amused smile on his face. _Why does he always seem to be laughing at me? _

"You are my favorite transfer ever!" Uriah declares as he pulls me from the training room. I'm soon swept up in the tide of Dauntless making their way to the roof. After climbing several sets of stairs, we emerge into the cool night. I haven't been outside in a while. It feels good to breathe the fresh air. I move over to the ledge and peek over the edge. I can't see the hole that I'm about to fall through, but I know its there.

All of a sudden, I'm pulled away from the ledge by Al. He, Christina and Will now surround me. "You don't have do this for their stupid game. Its not worth it," Al declares. I look at my other friends to gauge their reactions. Will looks pensive, and Christina looks worried. She keeps glancing over at the Dauntless born.

"He's right, Tris, but you have done this before," Will reasons. "Of course, it was during the day, and you weren't blindfolded. You could see where you were in relation to the hole in the lower roof."

"That's a big deal!" Al says.

"Tris, can you do it?" Christina suddenly asks. "I hate to ask you to, but one of us needs to prove ourselves to them. Its like you said earlier, they're testing us. Can you do it?" Christina looks scared. _It's so important to her to be accepted by them, to belong. I understand. I want that, too. _

"Of course, I can," I declare smiling. "I'm not scared. The blindfold will just add to the thill of it. Don't worry." Al shakes his head sadly; Will and Christina wear matching grins. I turn to the others, "Does anyone have a blindfold?"

Lynn holds up a strip of cloth. Its one of the sleeves that she cut off her shirt a few minutes ago. Everyone walks to the ledge, and Lynn ties the makeshift blindfold over my eyes. Uriah and Will help me step up onto the ledge. "You got this, Tris," Uriah says as he lets go. Will squeezes my shoulder and step back. I'm on the ledge along now. The lack of sight heightens my other senses. I feel the wind whipping around me. I hear a train in the distance rumbling toward Dauntless. Adrenaline is already pumping in my veins that I can practically taste it. After of a few seconds I take a deep breath and jump.

I'm free; I'm flying. Not being able to see anything makes the fall seem endless. Its like being in a dream. Only in my dreams I don't enjoy the descent. Suddenly, I hit the net and feel it wrap around me. I can't help it, I laugh. _That was incredible!_

"And she laughs again," a deep voice says to my left. I pull the blindfold off and smile at Four. He shakes his heads and chuckles along with me. "I can't imagine why you have so much fun doing that, but it's good to hear you laugh," he says. My breath hitches in my throat at his words. _He likes seeing me happy. Why? _

Four holds a hand out to help me from the net just like he did that first day. I feel that same surge of electricity as we touch. _Does he feel that, too? _Four places a hand on my waist to steady me after I roll off the net right in front of him. I grab his upper arm with my free hand as I stumble a little. Looking up, I'm caught in his gaze. Neither of us stands back or lets go. We simply stand there in the dimly lit room looking into each other's eyes.

The door slams open with a loud crash. We jump apart quickly. I blush and stare at the floor for a minute as I hear our friends coming into the room. There are so many thoughts running through my head. _What just happened? _I sneak a glance at Four who is rubbing the back of his head. _A nervous gesture? _Our gazes lock again for just a second as we both smile slightly. _I don't know what this feeling is, but I like it._

"Tris!" Christina yells. "Oh my God that was worse than the first time. There was no one cheering from down here to let us know that you were ok." Christina grabs me in a tight hug and sways us from side to side.

"Dude, I wondered where you went," Zeke says to Four.

"Well, someone had to make sure she wasn't hurt," Four replies with a shrug.

Zeke looks closely at Four then a wide grin spreads across his face. "Whatever you say, man."

"So, Four, how did she do?" Lauren asks.

He smirks and says, "She laughed," then shakes his at me again.

"Seriously?" Lauren exclaims. "Unheard of."

"Nice job, Tris," Marlene says as she gives me a quick hug. The others come over, as well. Thankfully, no else hugs me, though. _I'm still not used to all the touching! Then why didn't I mind Four practically holding me? _I quickly push those thoughts to the back of my mind. We're heading back to Zeke and Shauna's apartment, and its my turn.

As we settle back into our seats, I notice that Al isn't with us. I nudge Christina, "Where's Al?"

Christina shakes her head and tells me, "Right before you jumped, he told me that he was going down to the net. Didn't you see him there?"

"No, it was just me and Four." My heartrate increases as I think of what Al saw if he was there. _Could he have seen me and Four? No, we would have heard him come in. Right? Maybe he just got lost. _I still can't help but look at Four worriedly. He quirks an eyebrow at me. I shake my head in response hoping he'll understand that I can't talk about this here.

"Yoo-hoo, Tris!" Uriah calls out. "It's your turn."

Luckily, I already chose who to call on during our walk back. Zeke did something to gross out Shauna, and she was complaining loudly about it. We all laughed at the two of them. It also gave me good truth and dare ideas.

"Shauna, Candor or Dauntless?" I ask.

Shauna looks thrilled that she was picked and thinks for second. "Since we all just got comfy again after the last two dares, I'm going to go with Candor," she states.

We all glance at Uriah in anticipation but are disappointed. "What?! She has a point." He then grins and quietly whispers, "but she's still a pansycake."

As chuckles are heard throughout the room, I challenge Shauna. "Tell us another of Zeke's habits that you can't stand."

Shauna laughs, "Just one?"

Zeke splutters," Hey! I am a model of perfection." He stands and poses in front of us.

"A model of imperfection, more like," Lynn tells him.

Shauna grabs Zeke and pulls him back down on the couch before he can reply to Lynn. "IF I have to pick JUST one habit of Zeke's that I can't stand, it has to be the way he brushes his teeth."

"You should be happy I DO brush my teeth!" Zeke says.

"Yes dear, but it's the WAY you do it. I could never understand why there are little spots of toothpaste all over our mirror. Not near the sink. Halfway up the mirror, we have spots. What's worse, though, are the sounds! He gags himself every time, multiple times! I almost gag just having to listen to him," Shauna tells us.

"How do you gag yourself brushing your teeth?" Christina asks. _I'm curious, too. _

"Well," Shauna claps a hand over Zeke's mouth so he can't reply himself. "He left the bathroom door open one day, and I witnessed the whole thing. He gags himself while brushing his tongue. Trust me, it was disturbing to watch," Shauna finishes with a shudder.

I'm trying to picture what Shauna is describing then decide that I don't need that mental image. Zeke on the other hand seems unfazed. He sits proudly on the couch waiting for anyone to comment. I glance at Uriah who is oddly looking at the floor. He hasn't said a word since Shauna started describing Zeke's teeth-brushing method. _Ha! Apparently, this runs in the family. _

Lauren looks disturbed and nudges Shauna's leg. "Let's move on. Your turn."

"Right, let's see. Christina! Candor or Dauntless?" she asks.

Christina usually likes being the center of attention, but right now she seems wary of Shauna. "Candor," she states.

Shauna smirks and nods. "What has been the worst part of initiation for you so far?"

"Hanging over the chasm," Christina says without hesitation. There is a haunted look in her eyes. I reach out and squeeze her hand at the same time Will puts his arm around her. _She's here. She's fine. She's going to make it through initiation. _

"What did you say?" Four asks in disbelief.

I speak up so Christina won't have to tell the tale. "It was the first day of fights. You took Will to the infirmary after Al knocked him out and left us with Eric. Christina and Molly fought next. It wasn't pretty." I hesitate before telling Christina, "I remember praying for you to go unconscious."

"That would have been better," she nods. We share a small smile of commiseration.

"Christina conceded, so Eric punished her for it. He took us all to the chasm. Christina had to climb over the rail, then hold on with just her hands for five minutes or be factionless." I continue over the outraged cries, "She did it, but barely. At one point her hands slipped." I shake my head as I remember screaming in terror. "She ended up holding onto the barrier."

Shouts of disbelief echo throughout the apartment. The loudest of all is from Lauren. "That sick, twisted bastard! You could have died just so he could make a point!" She smacks Four's leg, "Why didn't you know about this?"

"Its not like Four could have done anything," I say.

"What do you mean? He could have stopped Eric," Christina exclaims.

"Tris is right," Will says. "Every time Four has stood up to him, Eric pulls rank. He doesn't usually win the argument, though. Instead he points out that he's a leader, and Four isn't. Eric wins."

Zeke, Shauna, and Lauren are all staring at Four. They look to be annoyed with him, but they also seem to be imploring him. Four is glaring at a spot on the wall as if it offended him in some way. Finally, he takes a deep breath and turns to Christina. "I'm sorry, Christina. It doesn't matter if Eric would have listened to me or not. At least I could have been a witness and immediately reported it," he says.

Christina meekly nods his head and quietly says, "Thank you." She doesn't seem to be ready to take her turn. We all just sit in silence for a few minutes lost in our own thoughts.

"While I hate to end a party on a low note, this seems like a good place to pause the game, "Zeke states. "Initiates, all of you, good luck. It sounds like the transfers especially have had a rough Stage One. I'm glad you all came tonight." He then stands and pulls Uriah up from the armchair. "Be careful brother. Sounds like you all need to watch yourselves," he seriously says and hugs his much larger "little" brother.

Shauna has moved over to Lynn and Marlene. She seems to be having a similar conversation with them. Four and Lauren are conversing quietly in the kitchen. _I guess Christina's story affected them all. They seem to really despise Eric. How can someone be given the power of a leader when they inspire such hatred?_

"I guess that's our cue," Will says and stands up. He helps Christina from the bean bag and keeps hold of her hand. It seems like an unconscious move on both of their parts. She needs the comfort after the memories tonight invoked. Uriah, Marlene and Lynn join us as we say goodnight to Zeke and Shauna.

Four and Lauren are waiting by the door. "Its late, we'll escort you back to the dorms," he says. As we leave the apartment, I can't help but wish that nights like this are in my future. _I'll just have to see what tomorrow brings. _


	5. Chapter 5: Ruthlessness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent or its characters. **

Chapter 5: Ruthlessness

Four's POV

Lauren and I are escorting the initiates back to the dorms after the get-together. Its been a revealing, adventurous, and overall interesting night. It will take me awhile to process everything I saw and heard. _Not to mention did. _I've had to push that moment with Tris by the net to the back of my mind. _That is definitely something to ponder over later. I can still feel her hand in mine. _

"Goodnight, Four," Lauren says, jerking me out of my thoughts. We are outside of the Dauntless-born dorm. I nod a goodnight to her and Uriah, Marlene, and Lynn. My group and I have a few more hallways to walk down. Christina and Will are holding hands and walking in front. _How long has that been going on? Apparently, their fight didn't harm their relationship. _

I fall into step with Tris. "Did you have fun tonight?" I ask her even though its obvious by the sparkle in her eyes and the bounce in her step that she did.

"Yes," she smiles up at me, "it was an incredible night. I hope to hang out with everyone again sometime soon. Well, if I'm still here."

"Why wouldn't you be here?" I ask. _Wait, she doesn't seriously think that she's getting cut tomorrow?_

She looks at me curiously then smirks. "Are you telling me that a Dauntless-born or two will be leaving in the morning?" she asks.

"Well, I can't tell you that officially, but I think you have a pretty good shot at making it all the way through to the end."

"I hope that's true. As tough as initiation has been so far, its also been the most interesting few weeks of my life," she says with a wide smile.

We are nearing the transfer dorms when an blood-curdling scream rips through the air. I take off at a sprint and barrel into the dorm. Tris is right behind me and flips on the light. The scene that greets us is grisly. Edward is lying in a pool of blood with a butter knife sticking out of his eye. Myra is screaming hysterically. Al, Peter, Drew, and Molly are all peering at the scene from their beds. None of them has moved to help Edward, and they all look suspiciously wide awake to me.

Tris moves past me and kneels by Edward's head. She's doing her best to calm him. I turn to Will and Christina who are standing in the doorway and looking horrified. "Will, run to the infirmary as fast as you can. Let the nurse on duty know that we have a knife wound in the eye and need someone down here immediately." Will nods and hurries out the door. "Christina, try to intercept Lauren and bring her here. She should be heading back toward the last stairway that we came down. Hurry!" Christina glances once more at Edward then runs out of the room.

"You four stay on your beds and don't move," I growl out to the suspected perpetrators. One of them was ruthless enough to stab Edward in his sleep. I don't want to let them out of my sight. _How have we come to this? What is happening to Dauntless?_

I move over to Myra and try to calm her down. "Myra, the medical team is on the way. They will do everything they can to help Edward, but he'll need you. Can you be strong for him right now? Can you help him?" Myra looks at me with watery eyes and nods slowly. She breathes deeply in an effort to get herself under control. When the nurse rushes into the room a few minutes later, Myra is no longer hysterical. She grabs Edwards hand just before his stretcher passes us and keeps hold of him as they leave the dorm.

Lauren runs into the room closely followed by Christina. "Four, what the hell happened?" She stops short at seeing the large amount of blood on the floor. Tris is covered in it.

"You should get cleaned up," I tell Tris. "Christina, will you help her?" After grabbing some clean clothes, the two of them go into the shared bathroom. Will follows them like a guard dog.

I take a deep breath before turning back to my other initiates. My hands are shaking as I try to reign in my temper. _I must calm down._

"Does anyone want to confess?" I ask. Peter looks at me defiantly; Drew's eyes are unfocused as he stares blankly ahead; Molly snorts and crosses her arms; Al is contemplating his shoes. _Shoes? He was still dressed. _I look at each of them again. Peter doesn't have shoes on, but he is fully dressed. Molly is in sleep-rumpled sweats. Drew is fully clothed, as well.

"Did any of you happen to see how this happened or who did it?" Again no one answers. _All four of them are ex-Candors. Rather ironic how the faction dedicated to truth produces such liars and cheats. _

Lauren lets out a loud huff and speaks to them through gritted teeth. "This is Dauntless you imbeciles! None of you are exemplifying what it means to be a part of this faction. One or more of you is even a COWARD!" This at least gets a reaction from each of the initiates. Being called a coward is the worst insult possible for a member of Dauntless. "Only a COWARD would stab another in their sleep within a dark dormitory. Only a COWARD tries to take out the top ranked initiate when he's most vulnerable."

"I disagree," Eric steps into the room. He looks satisfied as he takes in the scene before him. "I think it was rather cunning. We only want the best to become members, right? Well, Edward is obviously not the best if he lets his guard down so much," Eric says with a shrug. "Too bad, though. He had potential." Eric turns to leave but stops mid-step. "Oh, and Four, make sure you clean up this mess. I don't want to see any trace of blood in here by morning." With those parting comments, Eric strides from the room.

_That's it! He's ruining Dauntless, and I can't stand by any longer just watching. _I see Lauren fuming next to me and give her a slight nod before turning to the initiates. "I don't know why you're smirking, Peter. The four of you are cleaning this up. Get the bucket out of supply closet in the bathroom and fill it with soapy water. There should be soap in the closet as well. Molly, help him and grab the mop. Drew, strip Edward's bed. Al, rip the sheets and use the clean part to wipe down the bed." They just sit there staring at me for a second. "Move!" I yell and give them my best death glare. Molly, Drew and Al all quickly comply, but Peter slowly rises from his bunk.

"Eric told YOU to clean this up," Peter accuses.

"Yeah, and I am telling YOU. I'm your Instructor, Peter. Maybe you should be less concerned with what Eric wants and more concerned with MY opinion of you." Peter glares at me defiantly before heading into the bathroom.

"My money is on that one," Lauren quietly says to me. I nod in reply, though some intuition of mine tells me that he didn't do it alone. _Why do I get the feeling that they are all involved? At the very least they all witnessed it. I'd put money on none of them being asleep when it happened. _

"Let's talk outside for a minute," I tell Lauren. Tris, Christina, and Will are hovering in the bathroom doorway, and I beckon to them, as well. "Lauren, can these three sleep in the Dauntless-born dorm tonight? I'll escort them there and let your group know what happened, if you don't mind."

"Sure, Four," she says, then a slightly evil grin crosses her face. "Make sure you challenge them to defend Dauntless. Let's see what they do." _Not a bad idea. I'd like to see Peter try to take on Uriah and Lynn, not to mention the rest of the Dauntless-born initiates. _

"Alright, why don't you guys start heading over there. I'll catch up in just a minute," I tell my initiates. Once Lauren and I are alone, I start the conversation before Lauren can badger me with her opinion. "Can you stay and watch the others? Make sure they clean up the blood, and then tell them to stay in their bunks until they are told that they can leave. I'll ask the Night Shift Manager in the control room to keep an eye on this door. Then I'm going to go check on Edward. If Eric has already been to see him, Edward will be ready to quit. He shouldn't. I'll try my best to talk him out of it." I stop and take a deep breath.

"AND? Its time, Four. We NEED you," she pleads.

"I know. I'll go straight to Max as soon as I'm done with Edward. Hopefully, I can plead my case enough for him to listen and then still give me the job." _I don't want this, but I must stop Eric and the others. _

Her face brightens considerably as she says, "That is the best news I've heard in months. Go, I'll babysit."

I catch up to Tris' group a minute later and give her a slight smile. She looks shaken, they all do. "I assume you heard what Lauren and Eric said while you were in the bathroom," I say and look at Tris. She nods her head and clenches her jaw. I can tell she's practically biting her tongue to stop herself from saying anything. _Good, this is not the place for her to unleash a tirade against Eric. _"I don't want any of you to comment now, but I do want to you to think about this. Its time for you to decide what sort of Dauntless member you want to be. Will you be ruthless or honorable? Will you follow Eric or fight against those that do? You shouldn't have to make such a choice, especially not as initiates. Unfortunately, this is our reality." We've arrived at the door to the Dauntless-borns' dorm. "Its time to choose what side you're on."

I lock eyes with Tris before opening the door. She gives me a slight smile. Right before she enters the room, Tris grabs my hand. "Good luck, Four," she says seriously before squeezing my hand and walking inside. _Thank you, Tris. I needed that. _I flex my hand burning the feel of her own into my memory.

I turn on the lights and shout, "Dauntless-born Initiates your attention is needed!" Most of them wake up immediately, a few with blades in hand. _At least they're keeping their guards up. _It doesn't look like Uriah, Lynn, or Marlene had even fallen asleep yet. _How much can happen in such a short amount of time. A life changed forever – let's be honest, many lives. _

"What's going on, Four?" Uriah asks as he stands up from his bunk. I look around the room as I contemplate how exactly to answer him. The Dauntless-born weren't afraid to rearrange their dorm when they moved in, unlike the transfers. Eleven bunks fill the room end to end along each wall. The middle of the room is bare. Two tough-looking guys flank the door. Uriah and another male initiate have beds on the longest wall opposite the door, while the fifth male is posted along the far wall. The six girls are dispersed throughout with Lynn and Marlene closest to the door. The two girls that will be cut in the morning are practically hidden from view of my position in the doorway. _Interesting, this is a strategic layout. They didn't randomly assign themselves a bunk. The strong, fierce, brave are nearer the door. The weakest links are in the back, protected. Maybe this speech will be taken seriously, then. _

"There was an incident in the Transfer dorms. These three," I indicate Tris, Christina, and Will, "need bunks for the night. Are you willing to accommodate them?"

Uriah says, "Of course," at the same time the guy to my right says, "Why?" I turn to him.

"What's your name, Initiate?" I ask.

"Gabe, sir."

"Austin's younger brother?" _He must be. Take away the nose ring from Gabe and Austin's scar, the two could be twins. _

"Yes," he says suspiciously.

"I have two transfers in the infirmary, four suspects cleaning up the large amount of blood in the transfer's dorm, and these three who were with me at the time of the incident. The one hurt in the infirmary has a butter knife sticking out of his eye." Gabe's eyes widen for just a second before he returns to a guarded expression. I take the opportunity to close the door.

"That person, who was asleep at the time of the attack, is also the top-ranked initiate amongst the transfers." A chorus of "Cowards!" is heard. _Good, they need to know why this happened and what a loss for Dauntless it is. _"His name is Edward. He transferred from Erudite, but he always knew that he was meant for Dauntless. In fact, he started training in hand-to-hand combat at age ten." The Dauntless-born look suitably impressed.

"Gabe, your brother was attacked while patrolling the Factionless sector, right?" Gabe slowly nods. "Is that how he got the scar across his face?" I ask him.

"Yes, he was on patrol and got attacked from behind by three factionless. One sliced him with a knife. He," Gabe stops as he realizes my point in asking about Austin, "he almost lost an eye."

"Would he be any less Dauntless, any less fit to stand amongst us in protecting this city if he had lost an eye?"

"Hell no! He can still do is job! He's still Dauntless!" Gabe protests.

"Exactly my point. Eric doesn't think that Edward should stay in Dauntless. He thinks having your guard down while you sleep is a sign of weakness. Eric believes that stabbing someone ranked higher than you is a sign of great courage and determination. He doesn't think it's an act of cowardice." I let that sink in and look around the room. All the initiates, my transfers included look disgusted. Many look angry. Its that anger I want to harness into action.

"So, I pose this question to YOU, the future of Dauntless: what are you going to do about it? Those scumbags are your peers. How can you trust them? Will any of you be willing to go on patrol with them? Will they defend you from a factionless attack like Austin's unit did for him? Or will they leave you to fend for yourself and not risk their own necks? Are YOU going to let those cowards define what Dauntless means to the generations who come after you? Who is willing to show THEM what being Dauntless truly is?" I challenge them. _Here's hoping they agree. I can't stop Eric and the other ruthless leaders without support._

"Think about it. Lauren and I will gather you all together today after lunch. You'll be given an opportunity," I finish and turn toward my transfers. "Make friends but watch each other's backs," I say quietly. Christina and Will nod before moving toward Uriah. He's waving them over and arranging their spots for the night. I turn to Tris. Those beautiful clear blue eyes are sparkling with an emotion I can't quite place. _Is it pride? Why would she be proud of ME?_ "Are you ok, Tris?" I ask.

She nods quickly and a blush spreads across her cheeks. _She's so cute, and she doesn't even know it. _With a determined look she then says, "You're going to accept the job now, aren't you?"

"What? What job?" I ask trying to act like I don't know what she's talking about.

"How else can you fight against what Eric is doing to Dauntless?" she shrugs. "It makes sense. You just rallied your troops. Now you have to become a General. For what its worth, I think you'll make a great leader. Dauntless is lucky to have you." She smiles and looks me in the eye one last time before joining her friends. I stand there for a moment processing what she said. _Damn, that girl is perceptive. _I chuckle to myself and leave the dorm. _Its going to be a long night. _


	6. Chapter 6: Turning the Tide

_**Sorry for the delay in between postings. As much as I would love to get all of my ideas for this story typed up, sometimes life (AKA my toddler) gets in the way. Hope you enjoy!**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent or its characters

**Chapter 6: Turning the Tide**

**Four POV**

I glance at my watch for the tenth time in as many minutes,_ 6:30am. _Max should be arriving any second. Thanks to my other job working in the Control Room, I know Max's typical schedule. He's an early riser and spends an hour or two in his office before breakfast. I'm currently camped out on the floor in front of his office door. What I have to say can't wait. I only hope Max will listen.

After leaving the Dauntless-born dormitory last night, I went straight to the control room. I spoke with the manager on duty who dedicated one of his screens to watching the transfer's dorm. We then watched the grainy footage from the time of the knife attack. There are only shadows visible, several big ones moving about the room. Then no movement at all for an entire minute before one of the shadows moves swiftly toward what I assume is Edward's bed. Its hard to decipher what happens next as several shapes are now visible right before I burst into the room. By the time the light goes on, everyone is in their beds except for Edward and Myra. _So one did it, but the others knew it was about to happen._ _Nothing I can prove, though, with that recording. Too bad the audio wasn't on. _

The elevator rings as the doors slide open, and Max emerges. He only pauses slightly when he sees me. "Mornin' Four. You look like crap," Max greets me. I grunt and stand up hearing several joints pop as I do. Max regards me with raised eyebrows.

"Is that leadership position still available?" I ask without preamble.

To his credit Max's expression doesn't give anything away. He simply stares at me for a second. His eyes are unguarded, though, and he looks almost triumphant. _As if I wasn't nervous enough about this. _"Why don't you come in and tell me why you've turned it down for almost two years but seem interested now. We can also discuss the large amount of blood on your clothes." I glance down and realize that there are stains on my shirt and pant leg. Given Max's tenure at Dauntless, he can spot blood stains on black clothing easily. There is a trace of blood on my right arm, too. In all the commotion, I hadn't even noticed._ Must have been when I knelt next to Edward right after calming Myra down. _The memory of that scene gets my blood boiling again.

"One of my transfers stabbed the first-ranked initiate in the eye last night. The kid was asleep. On top of that, I found out last night that Eric punished one of the girls on the first day of fights because she conceded. He had her hang over the chasm for five minutes! Add this to his trying to punish the worst knife-thrower I have ever seen for incompetence and instead getting called out by another of the transfers for being a bully." Max eyebrows shoot up at this, but I go on, "He couldn't let that stand, so he pulled rank and had me throw knives at her in the other guy's place."

"So this is just about Eric?" Max asks disappointedly as he sits in the chair behind his desk.

"Of course its about Eric! How I can train them, motivate them to do well and become a part of Dauntless if they are cut down at every turn? This is only one batch of initiates. If this continues on, then patrols are going to be every man for himself soon. Dauntless won't be about protecting the innocent or the weak, it will be about taking out the competition so you can get ahead. How is that right?" I realize that I'm practically shouting and take a deep breath to calm down.

"Sounds like its more about the direction Dauntless is heading in, to me," a new voice joins in. I turn quickly to see Chase, the oldest of the leaders, standing in the open doorway. Chase is positively elderly by Dauntless standards but still looks like he could challenge me in a fight. He steps into the office and slowly closes the door. "Good morning, Four. I don't think we've ever been formally introduced." He sticks out a hand for me to shake. I take it awkwardly. _Why is that still so hard to do? _"I was called away to the Fence when the final rankings and job choosing for your initiate class took place. Have to say, I wasn't surprised at your ranking first or, given who your father is, that you chose not to be a leader. Others didn't share my opinion of that." He casts a pointed glance at Max. "Though, I was wrong in what your chosen profession would be. I thought I would finally have a high-ranking newbie as part of MY crew. To tell you the truth, I was rather disappointed when you chose the control room and training initiates. So tell me, why did you?"

_"_The control room is because I'm good with computers," I say dismissively._ No way am I telling them that its also how I keep tabs on what is happening in Dauntless. _"I chose to train the transfers so I could protect them, in a way." I stop to gather my thoughts.

"I saw how cutthroat the initiation process was as soon as Amar died. Neal had us in fights the next day even though we are at the end of Stage Two. He told us we had to keep our skills up. While I agree with that sentiment, the timing was all wrong." I pause thinking back to my emotional state at that time._ Furious, sad, depressed – I was completely unstable. Many of us were. _

I finally take a deep breath and continue, "I could have killed Eric that day. He didn't stand a chance against me in the ring, and I wanted to unleash the fury I felt over Amar's death. Neal held Lauren back from going into the ring to stop the fight. It was only Zeke and Shauna's voices begging me to stop that finally snapped me out of my rage. Eric was down on the mat choking on his own blood. I was horrified. That wasn't training or practice; it was senseless," I spit out. Neither leader interrupts my story_. _

"Neal, a Dauntless LEADER," I sneer, "just stood their clapping his hands with a huge smile on his face like it was the best fight he had ever seen. The rest of the initiates looked at me with fear in their eyes. I couldn't take it. I went into the hallway and threw up; I was so disgusted with myself and him." I still shudder at that memory. It reminds me of Marcus and how I never want to be like him.

"You're honoring Amar by training the Initiates. He was a big fan of yours, as well. Did you know that?" Chase asks. I slowly nod my head. Chase is perceptive. I hadn't even realized that continuing Amar's work was part of the reason that I chose to train the transfers. _He's right, though. Just like Amar protected me, I want to do the same for others. _My thoughts fly to Tris. _If I'm right and she's like me, then I need to find a way to protect her. _

"You didn't want to join leadership and work with Neal, understandable. Neither of us enjoy the experience," Chase mentions. His sardonic tone makes me look up in surprise. "Was it that reason alone that made you refrain from taking a leadership position then? "

"No, you were right about Marcus. I never want to see him again," I say forcefully then try to relax as I realize that I'm clenching my fists. Chase and Max are watching me closely. They've both seen my fear landscape._ Its not like I have to hide the truth from them – not about this at least. _"People think I'm so strong for having only four fears. Each of those fears, though, can still tear me apart. I don't exude strength every night I'm awoken from another nightmare staring Marcus. I'm weak," I say as I shake my head.

"The strongest amongst us are those who understand their own weaknesses," Chase says wisely as he leans against the office wall with his arms crossed.

_"_We can make sure you don't have to ever interact with him, Four," Max promises. "He won't even know that you're a leader. Not officially, anyway."

That piques my interest, "Why not?"

"We only provide the first names of our leaders to the other factions. It was initially an act of rebellion," Max grins, and Chase chuckles. "Erudite, Abnegation, and Candor insisted on using formal names - Mr. this, Miss that - which the Dauntless leaders at the time couldn't stand. They provided the Council with a list of five names, five first names. Since then we have continued the tradition. " Max shrugs, "Of course the Council didn't stop using formal address, and I sure get a kick out of being addressed as Mr. Max." We all laugh.

As we settle back down, I decide to get to the heart of the matter. "Chase, you talked about the direction Dauntless is going in and my not liking it. That's true. If you're looking for a leader who wants to watch Dauntless continue on this path to self-destruction, then I'm not your guy." I start pacing the office as I talk, "The way I see it, Dauntless will only have about 500 members by the time I reach Chase's age," I inform them. "That's 10 new members per year over the next 50 years. We currently have half of the active members guarding the fence. If that percentage remains the same, then our patrols would be outnumbered by the Factionless at rate of at least 2:1. Add the rest of the factions into the mix and its closer to 5:1 or 6:1." Max and Chase look grave but don't interrupt me. _Huh, this isn't news to them. They've done the math, too. Then why let it continue? _"If news got out that Dauntless only takes 10 initiates per year, that number could be even lower. This new policy could be the end of Dauntless," I conclude.

_"_Anything else, Four?" Max asks with a hard look in his eyes.

"Its obvious to me that you both realize this. So why are you letting Dauntless die?" I ask and wait for a real answer._ Hopefully I won't be kicked out of Max's office, either. _

Max and Chase give each other a long look. Finally, Max quirks an eyebrow, and Chase nods. They both turn back to me.

"Are you in or out, Four?" Max asks.

"What?" I say stupidly. _In or out of what?_

Max sighs, "We can't tell you anything until you're made a Leader. If you want to save Dauntless, as its obvious to Chase and I that you do, then you need to decide right now. Its your last chance, Four."

I take a second to study them as I think this through. My gut is telling me that they know what's going on and also don't agree with it._ So it's a battle amongst the Leaders. Do I really want to be a part of a power struggle? If it's the only way to save my friends, then yes._

"I'm in."

For the next several hours, Chase and Max fill me in on my new responsibilities, the timetable to move into my new role, and the investigation into their fellow leaders' activities and loyalties. The destruction of Dauntless prestige and influence is worse than I thought, but Max and Chase have a plan. Its complicated and risky but the rewards are not just for Dauntless. The whole city will benefit if we succeed.

In the meantime, we need to make some decisions regarding Initiation and my officially becoming a Leader. Max volunteers to talk with Edward about staying. He'll be given specialized combat training and reassessed before the end of Stage Three. He also assures me that Myra will be taken care of in the Factionless sector._ Apparently becoming Factionless from Dauntless isn't all it appears. _

Chase chooses to inform the other three Leaders that I have finally accepted the role. He seems oddly pleased to make the announcement and whistles his way down the hall. Chase doesn't tell me their reactions, but I can guess._ I'm sure Eric had a few choice words. He'll be pissed that he can't hold his being a leader over my head any longer. And now I can finally put a stop to his insane training tactics. _

By lunchtime, all is in place except for one detail – Dauntless has to accept me as a new Leader.

The cafeteria is full when Max walks jumps onto a table near the front. He taps the microphone a few times so the feedback hits everyone's ears. As the Dauntless wince, their attention shifts to Max.

"Fellow Dauntless, it's a historic day. After much deliberation, Chase has decided that its time to move on."_ Move on is code for "get out old guy" in Dauntless. _The room is suddenly abuzz with this news. "A new leader has stepped up to take his place. He is a Dauntless prodigy, the first in his initiate class, one of the best fighters in this faction, and he only has FOUR fears. So what say you Dauntless? Do you accept Four as your new leader?" Max shouts.

A chant of "Fo-ur! Fo-ur!" breaks out along with a rhythmic stomping of feet. The Dauntless stand at their tables. Those closest to me start pushing me toward the front from my spot near the doors. I can feel my ears turning red as I blush at the attention but try to maintain my stoic mask. Moving as far out of the way of the pushing hands as I can get, I amble forward. Once I reach Max, I climb up onto the table next to him. Max is grinning from ear to ear. _I'm glad he's getting a kick out of this ridiculousness because I hate it. _

_"_You can't back out now!" Max says. He grabs my left wrist and raises our arms overhead shouting, "Its official! Four is your new leader." He pauses as the Dauntless cheers become deafening. My eyes scan the room and land on my friends sitting at our usual table. Shauna and Lynn are hugging. Zeke is screaming his head off next to them. _I'm glad I can make them happy, at least. Soon, though, I'll need their help to defend Dauntless. _

I keep looking around the cafeteria until I find _her. _Tris is clapping and yelling along with everyone else, but her eyes are trained on me. We lock gazes, and she offers me the most brilliant smile. She mouths, "Good job!" as I stare at her lips. I try to smile back, but all of this attention is making me nervous. Instead I give her a slight smirk and quickly extricate myself from Max's hold. The rest of the leaders stand on another table as Chase joins Max and me.

"Four will be taking over Chase's responsibilities. He'll be in charge of our gate guards and patrols. Four's also requested to oversee training. As he's currently an Initiation Instructor, it only seems fitting." Max claps me on the back as Eric's head whips up._ Chase didn't tell him that little tidbit. That's right asshole, you don't get to play your twisted games with my Initiates anymore. _

"Chase will be around until the end of Initiation for the leadership transition. Thanks for your attention. Back to lunch!" Max finishes and claps both Chase and me on the back. "Now the work truly begins," he says quietly to us. We both nod and step down from the table.

With that, I'm a Dauntless leader. _What the hell have I gotten myself into?_


	7. Chapter 7: After the Cut

_**A/N: I can't believe its been so long since I updated and sincerely apologize for the delay. After struggling a bit with this chapter, I learned a big lesson in making sure my Autosave is in fact turned on. Yep, I lost it all (hadn't saved since finishing the last chapter). Getting the motivation to rewrite it took some time, but I think it was a blessing in disguise. I'm much happier with the results and hope you are, too. Thanks to all who have reviewed, followed, etc. The encouragement and feedback is really wonderful. Hope you enjoy!**_

**Chapter 7: After the Cut**

**Myra POV**

I take one last look at the Dauntless compound before turning away. There are four of us currently following the Dauntless leader, Chase, away from the faction headquarters. _Leader or Ex-Leader? I'm not quite sure what he is now. _He's leading us to the Factionless sector. _Factionless_. It's not a word I ever thought would describe me, yet here I am. This scenario never crossed my mind when I dripped my blood onto the coals.

Edward and I had prepared, we had a plan, and I thought we were ready. _Oh Edward, this was never part of the plan. _My heart constricts as I think of him. Edward has been my rock, my best friend, and my love for so long. I have no idea how to even attempt to keep going without him. He's the only family that I have left. _Well, only family that wanted me around. _

It had always been just Dad and me. I never knew my mother, and I learned at a young age to stop asking questions about her. No one would ever answer them. _They didn't answer many questions about Dad either. _I'll never forget the day an Erudite representative was sitting in my living room waiting for me to get home from school. Dad had been part of a "groundbreaking" experiment that Jeanine was leading. An "unfortunate" accident had occurred in the course of their research. Dad was gone. I had to live with his spiteful spinster sister for the next two years. She made it seem like it was dad's fault for getting killed and harming Jeanine's "critical work for the betterment of our society". _One good thing about being Factionless, I don't have to see any of THEM ever again. _

Edward held me as I cried over Dad's death. He held me as I cried over the hateful things my aunt would say. Edward then dried my tears and started planning for our transfer to Dauntless. He always knew Dauntless was where he belonged. I had not given much thought to what Faction I wanted to be in. Dauntless seemed as good as any of the others.

Though I was more than willing to leave Erudite behind, I wasn't ever going to be a physical powerhouse. Edward tried so hard to train me, but I'm just not coordinated. I hate the sounds of fist hitting flesh; I hate the sight of blood and knocked out teeth. _I'm just not a fighter. _We faced this problem like two Erudite-raised kids are taught. Following a thorough examination of my strengths and weaknesses, we determined that my focusing on strategy and tactics would prove my worth to Dauntless. _If only they had given me the chance to do just that. Two years spent reading everything from __The Art of War__ to __Policework for Dummies__ wasted. _

A loud sob breaks me out of my thoughts. The other transfer cut from Initiation is trudging along at the back of our group. He keeps looking behind him as if someone from Dauntless leadership will suddenly change their mind about kicking him out and save him from whatever fate has in store for the rest of us. _Al, why did you even choose Dauntless to begin with? _Al didn't even try in the fights. He was worse than me at knife-throwing and hitting targets with a gun. _It shouldn't be such a surprise that you were cut. _

After walking a seemingly random pattern through streets and alleyways, Chase comes to a stop next to a tall derelict building. He stares up at something on the corner of the building for a few seconds before ducking inside. As I follow, I see a small security camera mounted to the outside of the building. _We're being watched even here, but why would Chase care about the cameras catching us on film? He wouldn't, unless where he is taking us is a secret. A secret from who, I wonder? Interesting. _

Chase leads us to the back of the building then up a set of stairs. Several floors up, we're all breathing heavily except for our leader. _Does the man not even sweat?_ He finally stops climbing at what seems like a random floor and leads us into a large room. There are several posts in the middle of the room. A wire is tied and anchored into the concrete of the middle post. The wire leads out of a large window casing at the other end of the room. Chase walks over to the opening and peaks out at the street below.

"This is where you make your choice. You only get this one chance, and you must decide quickly. Dauntless take care of our own. You may be Factionless, but that doesn't mean you're friendless. A job, food, clothing, a roof over your head, and a warm bed to sleep in can all be yours. You just have to pay the price. What price do we ask? Your silence. No one outside of your ex-Dauntless brothers and sisters can know anything about this refuge. You betray even a nugget of information to anyone, and punishment will be swift. We will not hesitate to kill you in order to protect everyone else. Do you understand?" Chase questions us with a fierce scowl on his face.

_This place within the Factionless sector sounds like my best chance to survive. Max assured Edward and me that they would welcome me there when he spoke with us this morning. It's the only reason Edward let me go alone. He knew I would be safe and taken care of. I promised to stay strong without him. Edward promised to come for me, to find me, as soon as he can after passing Initiation. We'll be together again someday, somehow. _

I nod in understanding of Chase's warning and along with the two Dauntless-born girls. Al's eyes are wide, and he seems confused. He hesitates before nodding, as well. _Max didn't tell Al about the ex-Dauntless refuge earlier. He probably only told me because of wanting Edward to stay in Dauntless. I can't blame him; Edward deserves to be a member of Dauntless. _

"You can walk down those stairs, out the door, and continue north toward the Abnegation sector, if you choose. There you will find the majority of the Factionless. If you rather not risk sharing our secret, then choose that. But you must choose now, " Chase finishes and looks us each in the eye one at a time.

After all three girls agree to stay only Al is left to make a decision. "Well, if you're all staying, I guess I will, too." _I wonder if he's always been a follower and weak-willed. Maybe he's just scared to be on his own though, too. I wouldn't want to wander the Factionless streets alone. _I shudder at the thought.

"Alright, don't make us regret keeping you in the fold," Chase warns before turning to a pile of metal items on the floor. He picks one up, and I can see that it's an old bicycle handlebar. Rubber grips with added loops cover the hand holds. Chase hands it to one of the Dauntless-born, "We're going above the cameras so they can't follow our movement. Skye, you're first up. Stop at the next building and wait for the rest." _Stop? What does that mean? _My questions are answered as Skye places the handlebar over the wire, slides her hands through the loops, and then grabs onto the grips. She steps up to the window ledge. Her hands are placed on each handle with the wire over her head. _What in the world is she doing? _She takes a deep breath and a few running steps before launching herself out of the empty window frame.

I rush to the outer wall to watch as Skye quickly slides through the air. The wire is strung through a large hole in the brick of the building opposite us. She's gaining speed due to the slightly downward tilt of the wire. _Smart. It's the only way you could continue sliding over the wire without having a long running start. This way no one should get stuck. Well, they won't get stuck on the wire, but hopefully we can all hang on long enough to make it across. It's a long way down. _

"Myra, you're next," Chase says, startling me from my thoughts. _Me? Now? Oh my God! _Chase takes in my panicked expression, and his eyes soften a bit. "You'll be fine. Just hold on tight to the bar with both hands. Don't let go, and it will be over before you know it. Here, I'll take your bag of food," Chase pulls the bag provided by the Dauntless cooks from my shaking grasp and gently guides me to the window ledge. "Toughen up, kid. You can do this," he says. _He's right. I can do this. I have to do this. Edward told me that I am stronger than I realize. I have to trust that. I have to believe it. _

I shake out my hands and take some deep breaths. Finally ready, I grip the bar tightly over my head and move backwards a few steps. _Just making sure I have plenty of speed to get this over with quickly. _I run forward until my right foot pushes against empty air. My legs flail underneath me as I struggle to hold on to the handlebars. _Hold tight, don't let go. Hold tight, don't let go. _Halfway across I make the mistake of looking down. _Oh my God! It's so high. _My heart rate speeds up even more. I snap my eyes shut and try to keep my grip from slipping. Slowly opening my eyes again, the brick wall of the building I'm heading toward is only a few feet away. I sail through the opening, and see Skye waiting inside.

"Put your feet down," she says. I comply immediately and drop my feet to the floor as I let go of the bar. This causes me to fall face first into the dust and dirt of the wooden floor. Skye catches my handlebar before it clatters to the floor along with me. "Graceful," she comments with a laugh. "You better move before Rita comes in, or she may land on you."

Skye moves back over to the opening to watch the other Dauntless-born begin her journey. _Rita, how do I know that name? _I ponder this as I stand up and try to brush the grime from my clothes. _Wait, she's the one who lost her sister that first day. Now she's cut from Dauntless? I can't imagine how traumatized she must be. _I join Skye in watching Rita slide over the wire. Rita is still in the air and not showing even an ounce of fear. She smoothly places her feet on the floor and jogs forward for a few steps before finally coming to a stop. _Wow, it's like she has been doing this her whole life. Do they teach how to do these crazy stunts to the kids at Dauntless? _Rita comes over to stand next to Skye and me.

"That kid is blubbering again. Chase looked about ready to push him out of the window without the handlebars a few minutes ago, " Rita tells us. We all look up to the opposite building to see Chase and Al arguing. We see Chase slam another handlebar onto the wire and motion to Al. The force of that action shakes the wire all the way down the line. As I watch the wire vibrate next to me, I remember how stubborn Al can be. _I still can't believe he stood up to Eric during knife-throwing. Idiotic move when we all stood there as witnesses. Eric would never let defiance slide when others are watching. Did Al learn nothing from the Christina hanging-over-the-chasm incident? _

Suddenly, I hear a high-pitched wail. Al has both arms wrapped around the handles so that his right hand is holding onto the left handle and vice versa. His head is buried under his arms as he slides towards us. He shouts of fear are echoing off the buildings around us. "So much for secrecy. That guy is going to get us all killed," Rita spits out. She and Skye shake their heads and glare at Al before grabbing their handlebars again.

This is the first time that I notice a second wire leading back out of this building. _I shouldn't be surprised that we have to do this again, but I really wish we didn't. _Skye is in position near what appears to be an old set of French doors. One door is hanging from a single hinge while the other leans against the far wall. _I wonder how many more slides we'll have to do. On second thought, who even came up with this to begin with? _

Al arrives through the hole in the brick wall and immediately lets go of the handlebar. He lands with a thud on the wood floor. "I did it. I actually did it! Wow, I did it," he says aloud with a big laugh.

"Yeah, and you made a hell of a lot of noise doing it, dumbass," Skye says to Al in disgust.

Al splutters and starts to come up with a response when Chase sails in. "Go Skye, we have to be quick. If anyone comes to investigate the yelling this buffoon did," he jerks his head toward Al, "then I'll have to cut the wires." Skye nods and immediately sets off toward the next building. It's a shorter building than the one we currently stand in, and the wire leads to the rooftop. "Get ready, Myra. As soon as Skye lands, I want you out the door." I nod and quickly move to the opening with my handlebar in hand.

The street between these buildings is wider and the rooftop is at least two stories lower than where I currently stand. _Longer distance but steeper angle. We'll gain speed as we go. _In no time at all, Skye is safely on the rooftop. I try not to hesitate but pause for a deep breath before I push off from the ledge. _I've done this before; I can do it again. Just hold on, Myra. Hold on. _

Wind whips through my hair as once again I hang from the handlebars. The harsh sound of the metal bar sliding along the wire is grating to my ears. My focus, though, is on Skye and the rooftop where she stands waiting. Suddenly, she turns her head the other direction and seems to be looking for something in the distance. Just as I reach the edge of the roof, she turns back towards me, "when your feet touch, run a little like you're getting off the train". Thankful for the advice, I keep my feet moving the second I feel the solid surface of the roof. A few steps later I've skidded to a stop. _Safe, I'm safe once again. _I breath deeply and flex my fingers as I lower the handlebars off the wire. _I always fell, or Edward held me up when getting off the train. I did this one on my own. Maybe he is right, I am stronger than I know. _

With a bit of a smug grin, I turn to see Skye gesturing up to Chase while Rita makes her descent. My grin vanishes when I realize why Skye seems so concerned. I hear shouting.

My heart is in my throat as I try to determine which direction the sound is coming from. _Its behind us a bit and over a few buildings, I think. _I creep over to the other side of the rooftop as Rita lands with practiced ease. The voices are louder on this side of the building. I glimpse a small group of rowdy Factionless in the distance. They are several buildings away, but they're walking down the street towards us. Luckily, the height of the buildings around us should hide Al and Chase as they slide down the wire. _Unless this group looks up at the wrong time, that is. _

The group walks between two buildings, and the sudden burst of sunlight shines off metal. Rita sucks in a breath behind me. "Shit, they're armed," she says then remains crouched down as she hurries back toward Skye. I follow. "Signal Chase to cut it. They're close," Rita tells Skye. Skye tilts her chin up as she moves her finger in a slashing motion across her throat. Chase nods once then disappears from view.

Al has just started his slide to the second rooftop. His legs are flailing as he struggles to hold on to the bar. _He's actually being quiet. I wonder what Chase said to him. _As Al nears, I realize that it's not what Chase said, it's what he did. Al's mouth is covered by a wide strip of black tape. Tears are streaming down Al's bright red face as he speeds towards us. _He's coming in really fast. Too fast. _Rita, Skye, and I all move out of the way as Al flies over the ledge. "Put your feet down, but run a bit like you're getting off the train," I tell Al as he sails by.

Unfortunately, he doesn't listen. Once his flailing feet find the rooftop, he immediately lets go of the bar. His momentum continues to push him forward and he barrels across the surface of the roof. The handlebars fall with a loud clatter. Al's squeals are dimmed by the tape covering his mouth, but he lands at the other end of the rooftop facedown with a loud thud.

The girls and I are frozen in place as we watch Al. Rita's mouth is open in shock. Skye's eyes are wide with fear. I'm holding my breath as my heart pounds loudly in my ears. Skye is the first to move. She's cursing under her breath as she grabs Al's handlebar and marches toward him. "Don't beat him with it, Skye. He's an idiot, but we've got to get out of here quick," Rita whisper-shouts to her friend. Skye pauses, sucks in a deep breath, and reluctantly nods. The shouting from below us gets louder as the group of Factionless home in on our location.

Chase lands lightly on his feet next to me. "Get Al away from the edge as quickly as possible. Keep him low and head for the door," Chase orders in a low voice. "Rita, collect all the bars and bring them with us. Skye, how close are they?"

Skye has been peering over the far ledge since stepping around Al. The voices of the armed Factionless drift up to us. She's crouched low, but the top of her head would be visible to anyone looking up. _Please don't let them see us, please don't let them see us. _Skye ducks down with her back to the low stone wall marking the edge of the roof and motions for us all to get down. She signals to Chase: points to the right, makes a three with her right hand and a two with her left and pulls them apart. _Five total Factionless are in two groups and going into the buildings to our right. We're lucky the stairs are on the other side of this building. _

I crawl across the rooftop toward Al, who has only managed to turn over onto his back. He's staring at the sky and shaking his head. "Al, we have to move quickly." He doesn't look at me and only continues to shake his head. "Al, you either crawl to the door over there with me, or you stay here and wait for the armed Factionless to find you. It's your choice. I for one would rather continue the crazy stunts with Chase than deal with an unknown Factionless group with guns." I turn toward the door and crawl as quickly as I can toward it, not even bothering to see if Al is following me. _We have the chance at safety, security, a community. He'd be an idiot not to take it. _

The others are already at the door when I hear Al grunting along behind me. "We have to be quick to get through this building before they search it. We're going all the way down to the basement. The stairwell is dark, but just keep moving. No talking, quiet footsteps, and keep up, " Chase warns us. "Here we go."

Chase opens the door, and we all duck inside. I just have enough time to see the top of the stairwell before Chase closes the door. We're plunged into darkness. "Find the handrail and hold on to it as a guide. Let's go," Chase states from my left. I then hear the tread of light footsteps going down the stairs. Not wanting to be far from Chase in this darkness, I move forward right away only to bump into another body. After whispering apologies to each other (_was that Rita or Skye?_) we all fumble our way to the top of the stairs.

I cautiously take my first step down, then another, and another. I count the number of steps I take before reaching the first landing. _Twelve. _Then I count how many steps across the landing to the next stair. _Five. _The pattern is consistent through the next flight and landing. _Good, now I can count my way down instead of hesitating on each step. _Eventually I get into a rhythm as we continue to move down the flights. I can hear Al breathing heavily behind me, and the sounds of the other three continuing our trek in front of me. These sounds are suddenly interrupted as loud voices can be heard quite near to us. We all stop moving immediately.

"This place is deserted. There's no one here," an unusually high male voice complains.

"And I'm telling you, I saw movement on the roof. Someone's up there," a gravelly-sounding man replies.

"I don't want to go up to the roof. Its hot, and I'm tired," the first voice whines.

"Why would anyone be here in the first place? Its too far from Abnegation and way too close to Dauntless. No food, and those arrogant asses nearby? No way would anyone be here. Besides, all the Factionless know its our territory," a female voice joins the discussion.

The voices are coming from my right. I'm halfway across the fourteenth landing and must be near a door. I don't dare move a muscle. I'm hardly breathing. _Please don't come through here; please don't come through here. _

"I still want to check it out," the second man insists.

"Fine, but that's not the way up. The sign says no roof access. There must be another stairway," the woman points out.

The voices fade as the group moves further away from our stairwell. _No roof access? Wow, these ex-Dauntless sure cover their tracks. _I take a deep breath and continue across the landing. The others have already begun again.

We're five more flights down when a grating noise echoes through the stairwell. Light streams in from a doorway several stories up from where our group stands frozen in place. I can now just see everyone through the dim light filtering down. Chase, Skye, and Rita all remain safely in the shadows, though. Al and I aren't quite so lucky. I quickly let go of the railing when my hand becomes shockingly visible and lean further into the shadows. Halfway up the stairway behind me, Al's entire left arm can be seen from the tips of his fingers to the top of his shoulder. He's paralyzed with fear as he continues to clutch the railing. Sweat is dripping from his brow, and only now do I realize that his mouth is still covered with the thick black tape.

"I knew this was the right stairs," the gravelly-voiced man is back.

"You sure? This one's got the same sign the other door had. No roof access," the woman replies.

"Suspicious that not much else is left in this old stack of bricks but those damn signs. Maybe somebody doesn't want anyone looking up there."

Shuffling can be heard and a shadow blocks some of the light. I jerk my head at Al trying to signal that now is the time to move his arm from view. Too late, he hesitates before shifting his whole body over toward the far wall.

"What was that? I just saw something move down there," the high voice of the third member of the Factionless search team calls out.

More footsteps are heard and the light shifts as the entire group seems to be investigating. _Why is it always Al? Please don't let them see us. What do we do if they find us? Do we run? Do we try to lose them in the dark stairwell or take our chances through the main part of the building? _I keep my eyes on Chase as these thoughts swirl through my head at a rapid pace.

"It was probably a rat. There's tons of them around here. Let's go up a few more floors in that other staircase we found. I'm not walking up these stairs in the dark," the woman says. _Listen to her. Please listen to her!_

"Well someone has. Look at these tracks. Movement on the roof, signs on the doors, tracks in the dust mean this place ain't abandoned like it should be," the first man claims. My heart literally skips a beat. I'm holding my breath as our group stands still waiting.

"We better hurry then," the woman urges then footsteps are heard heading away from the stairway.

"I'm with her." The suspicious guy only grunts back in response to the whiner, then they both shuffle back through the door. It slams shut loudly leaving us in darkness once again.

"Hurry," Chase commands in a harsh whisper. He doesn't need to tell us twice. We all move twice as fast down the steps now. Not bothering to be as quiet now that we know our pursuers are going the opposite direction. _Hopefully we can get all the way down to where we're going before they reach the top floor. _

I've lost track of how many flights of stairs we've been down. Instead, I've kept counting steps in an attempt not to fall. Rita stumbles a bit in front of me a few times, and Al has had to catch himself by clutching the rail more than once. We all keep moving though.

Finally, Chase halts our progress and turns on a small light. It's a handheld flashlight. He finds the handle of a large metal door and opens it to reveal nothing but a pitch black space. "Inside, now," Chase urges. We all comply quickly. "Those of you still carrying the bag from the Dauntless cooks, find the flashlight at the bottom. Myra, Rita, I have yours." Chase hands me a small metal flashlight, and I quickly turn it on.

I can now see that we're in a long passageway. Exposed pipes line the ceiling above our heads. _We've made it to the basement, but where can we go from here? Don't we have to go back up to get out? _

"This tunnel is the last part of our journey. We still need to hurry, though. Our route has been compromised, so its time for a jog. Keep up," Chase tells us before turning and double timing down the dark hall. Rita and Skye shrug at each other before hurrying to follow him. I'm so exhausted that even the thought of jogging wears me out even more. _I don't want to be left behind, though. Jogging it is. _With a resigned sigh I internally count to three before begging my body to move.

After a few minutes we come to a T-shaped intersection. Chase turns right and continues down another tunnel. A few minutes more, and he stops at a metal door. "Shine your lights up toward the ceiling, so your faces are visible, but don't blind yourselves. Always keep sharp," Chase tells us. He then pounds three times against the door with his fist. A small piece of the door near the top slides away to reveal a peephole. A pair of dark eyes peer down at us.

"Chase with four cuts," Chase informs the door guard. The metal covering for the peephole slides back into place. Nothing happens. We wait in silence. Chase doesn't seem concerned, so I'm trying not to be, as well. It isn't working. _What are we waiting for? _

Finally, the sound of a lock clicking can be heard. The door eases open, light streams into the tunnel, and two gun barrels are pointed right at us. _Woa! _"Chase and four, flashlights off. Hands up. Enter slowly," a deep voice says. _Well this definitely isn't the warm welcome we were expecting. _

We all comply before following Chase through the doorway. The door immediately closes behind us. We're standing in a small room with two armed, rough-looking men. There's a table and chairs off to one side with a deck of cards set on top. A second door is on the opposite wall. The room is lit by a soft blue lamp. _Just like Dauntless. _

The guards lower their weapons, and the click of the safeties echoes even in this small space. Both men shake hands with Chase while looking the rest of us over. One looks at me with an appreciative gleam in his eye that I don't like. _Edward was always so possessive when other men looked at me like that. I guess I'm going to have to learn to deal with it on my own now. Oh Edward, I wonder what you would have thought of this adventure. _

My thoughts are interrupted when the taller of the two guards leads us through the second door. Daylight streams into the lobby of an old, run down building. The lobby is several stories high with a wide staircase dominating one end of the room and a set of exquisitely carved wooden doors flanked by large windows on the far wall.

More armed guards, both men and women, are lined up at various points along the two outer walls. The windows are lightly covered with a soft-white, gauzy material that flutters slightly in the breeze. While light filters through, the material is layered enough that you won't be able to easily see the figures standing guard. An old counter area facing the doors looks like a makeshift office space. Radios, additional guns, ammunition, and what appear to be maps are visible.

A thin older gentleman with a serious expression approaches our group. "Chase, you're late. Run into trouble?" the man asks.

"Yeah, group of five heard us on the first crossing. I cut both wires. Three of them were in Building 3 as we were coming down. Tami was one. She saved our asses. Route's compromised," Chase informs him with a shake of his head and a glare in our direction. _Tami? Chase know that Factionless woman? And so does this guy, apparently. What is going in here? _

"Damn. I hate having to reset. Someone always gets hurt. I'll have to wait a few days for Tami's report. Use the backup for your return." Chase nods in agreement.

The newcomer's eyes scan the ex-Dauntless initiates. He barely glances at Rita and Skye before settling his gaze on me. His scrutiny makes me uncomfortable. I look down at my feet to avoid his eyes. "We don't usually get all four from the first cut. Who do we have here?" the man asks Chase.

"Myra's Erudite-born, and Al's Candor," Chase says. "This is Abe."

I glance up to see the man, Abe, still looking at me intently. He seems surprised, "We haven't had a Nose join our community in awhile. Not a fighter then, are you?" the Abe asks me bluntly.

"N- no," I stutter out before taking a deep breath to settle my nerves. "I am useless at fighting, but I did prepare for Dauntless." I hurry to continue as both Chase and the other gentleman look at me skeptically. "I spent my time studying strategy and tactics, but I wasn't given the opportunity to show that in Initiation."

Now everyone seems to be looking at me. There's a sparkle in the older men's eyes. "She seems to be right in your camp, Chase. He's said for years that Dauntless initiation isn't thorough enough. Too much focus on fighting and combating fear. Not enough focus on how and why you need to do that," Abe tells us.

"Or teamwork," Chase adds sardonically. "Hopefully your studies won't be wasted and you can find a place here, Myra." I give him a tremulous smile. _Can I really find a purpose here? A life? I don't even know what here is yet, but I'm beginning to hope just a bit more that I didn't truly ruin my life the moment I chose Dauntless. _

"Myra did well on the trip over. So did Skye and Rita," Chase informs Abe. He glances at Al before turning back to the new man, "As you can see from the tape, Al struggled." Abe's hazel eyes darken as he shifts his attention to Al.

"Noted. I'll keep an eye on him," Abe says to Chase. Al gulps in response.

Chase smirks before walking quickly over to Al, lifting up a hand, grabbing an edge of the black tape covering Al's mouth, and pulling the tape off. Al, thankfully, keeps his mouth closed as he squeals and bends over covering his mouth.

"Well, I'll leave you now with Abe. I have to get back on camera and over to Dauntless before anyone becomes suspicious. Good luck," Chase wishes the ex-Initiates. "I'll see you soon, Abe. Permanently in a couple of weeks." Abe raises his eyebrows in question. Chase nods. "Four, finally. Will take a few weeks to train and start opening his eyes a bit. I'll bring him over when he's ready."

Abe smirks. "Don't be so hard on the kid. Abnegation aren't taught to look beneath the surface. Only the tragedy of his upbringing and his own strength of character have brought him to this point. I'm relieved, though. She's getting restless and making plans. The time is coming soon." _Did he just say that FOUR was from Abnegation? Seriously, Four? Oh my God. Tragic upbringing, what is Abe talking about? And who is She? There is a lot going on here. I have too much to think about and process, and I think this is just the tip of the iceberg. _

With one more nod at us, Chase turns and disappears through a door behind the large counter.

"Well, time to hurry then. I know the mother hens will want you all settled before dark. You were supposed to be here an hour ago," Abe informs us then quickly calls over to a man standing behind the counter. "Eddie, me and four newbies going across. Main gate." The man behind the counter, Eddie apparently, nods and speaks into a radio before turning to the guards on duty within this lobby. They all are staring intently through, under, around the white material in order to see out the windows.

"Points report," Eddie says.

"Point 1, clear," comes from the woman in position at the corner of the room by the stairs.

"Point 2, clear," says a large man near the main door.

"Point 3, clear," say another large man who looks eerily like Point 2 at the corner of the two outside walls.

"Point 4, movement to the south," announces the final guard on window-duty. "Eagle 3, confirm."

The radio crackles and a soft female voice says, "Eagle 2 here, three roamers south searching for scraps."

Eddie speaks into the walkie talkie again, "Red 1 engage the roamers. Divert attention from the north for 5."

Through another burst of static and an extremely deep male voice replies, "Roger. Red 1 on the move."

Eddie says, "Eagle 3, announce when clear. Better get ready boss, quick window."

Abe nods and starts to tell our group the plan. "We're going through that large door and across the street. We'll go down the sidewalk (watch out for holes, this is Factionless territory after all) along the black fence before turning into a small gate. We have to be quick. No one can see us or find the refuge."

The radio crackles again, "Red 1 engaged. Clear to move."

"Quickly now, " Abe says and moves to the door. It slides open just enough for us to squeeze through then we're on the move again. This part of Factionless territory seems deserted, but that's just on the surface. I can feel eyes watching us cross the street and not just those in the building behind us. _Wherever we're going is extremely well guarded. Is all of this really necessary? Why would the other factionless care if we band together? Why would any of the Factions. What am I missing here? _

We reach the sidewalk in front of a very high fence covered in black mesh fabric similar to the white fabric covering the windows in the makeshift command center we just left. Only this fabric is deceptive. It looks ragged and torn from the outside but that's just the outer few layers. If you look closely, the inner layers are intact and not moving in the breeze like the rest. _Interesting. Illusions everywhere we turn. What's behind the fence?_ My question is answered as Abe turns sharply to the left. He enters a narrow gate held open by yet another armed guard.

Then, I see it. A three-story rectangular brick building stands in front of us. Its surrounded by the black-mesh covered fence. It's a well taken care of structure in stark contrast to the buildings that surround it in the Factionless area. All of the window frames have glass windows intact. The mortar between the bricks is clean and not cracking. Well-tended bushes are in a neat row along the front of the building. The path up to the door is free of any broken bits of concrete. _Its like an oasis in the desert of Factionless. _

As we approach the front steps, the large metal door opens. Two older women and an middle-aged man walk down the steps to greet us.

"Welcome to Resolute."


	8. Chapter 8: Fallout

Note: Sorry for the lengthy delay in getting a new chapter published. Life has been crazy the past few months, but a recent review gave me the kick I needed to get back to writing. Thanks for that! Hope you enjoy.

**Chapter 8: Fallout**

**Edward's POV**

_She's gone. I failed to her. I couldn't keep her here and us together like I promised. Now she's Factionless. _I bang my head against the wall of my hospital room in frustration. I can't keep thoughts of Myra from my mind. _Well, I've never been able to keep her very far from my thoughts._

I heave a deep sigh before pushing away from the wall. _One, two, three, and now the bed should be right next to me. _I reach out a hand a bit too quickly and bang it against the metal bedframe. "Damn it!" I say aloud. The bed was closer than I expected. _I need to work on my spatial awareness. It wouldn't look good (or feel good) to keep bumping into things. _

"You know, you could just turn your head," a deep voice says from the doorway. I look up to see Four leaning against the frame.

"I'll lose every fight that way," I grumble back to him.

"Then work on sharpening your other senses. Get more in tune with the rest of your body. Take a disadvantage and build a new strength. Practice."

I simply nod in response as Four has given me a lot to think about. _Myra told me the same thing before she left. Guess I should start listening. _

"Ready to get out of here?" Four asks as he stands straight.

"Hell yeah," I reply and follow Four out of the infirmary. "Where are we going?"

"To join the rest of the Initiates. Lauren is rounding them all up now," Four states.

I follow him out of the infirmary. Four is tense and silent as we walk. _Well, Four is always tense and isn't exactly chatty. _Four finally glances at me before clearing his throat. "The video recording from the transfer dorm only shows some grainy shapes. No clear figures and no audio evidence. I can't prove who attacked you. I need that proof in order to kick them out."

I nod in understanding. _Figures. I didn't expect the Dauntless leaders to do much. Not that I won't get my revenge, anyway. _Those grainy images must not show the struggle I had with the attacker. I woke up when the person was standing above my bed. _If I hadn't been asleep just before, I could have fought them off. I'll find out who it was, and they will definitely regret it. _

"Congratulations, Four!" a pretty blonde with wide blue eyes smiles at Four as we walk past. He just nods at her with his trademark scowl firmly in place. _Huh, that's the third girl to congratulate him in the last few minutes. _

"Hi, Four!" a petite brunette flutters her eyelashes and giggles. _Another one? What gives?_

"You finally get laid or something? What's with all the women?" I ask Four.

His head snaps around so fast I'm sure he pulled a muscle as the scowl turns into an outright glare. "What did you say to me, Initiate?" Four growls.

"What? There have been at least four beautiful women throwing themselves at you since we entered the Pit. Either word's out that you're single-and-ready-to-mingle or someone slipped a lust potion tuned to you into the water. I'm betting on option one."

"Mingle, what? - I'm not, well, its not!" Four sputters before coming to a full stop near the large training room. _Woah, he's actually flustered. Ha! What the hell is going on? _Four heaves a deep sigh with his eyes closed, pinches the bridge of his nose, and seems to steady himself before opening his mouth again. "They're congratulating me. I was named Leader to replace Chase at lunch today."

_Well I didn't see that coming! _"Just like that? You go from Initiate Trainer to Leader?" I ask.

"It's a bit more complicated than that. I've been asked before to consider the position and chose to accept it this morning. Then Dauntless as a whole voted at lunch – well, as close to a vote as Dauntless does, anyway," Four replies with a sardonic smirk.

_There's a lot more to this than he's letting on. Why now? Why this morning? Me? Nah, it has to be more than that. As if I didn't already have a lot to think on. _"Congratulations, then. Wish I had I seen Eric's face," I say with a smirk and reach out a hand to shake his. Four takes it and shakes awkwardly before quickly letting go. W_eak handshake; odd grip. The puzzle of figuring out Four continues. _

"Thanks," Four mumbles before turning to the training room door. "Everyone's meeting in here." He pushes the door open to reveal the combined Initiate class of Dauntless-born and transfers standing before Lauren.

Everyone's eyes seem to dart quickly past Four to focus on me. _Focus on my eye-patch, really. Not me. _Whispers erupt amongst the initiates as they all take in my new appearance. I stand up straighter, pull my shoulders back, and ignore them all. _They have NOT broken me. I'll show them all that I can still outrank them._ I stand at the edge of the group next to a few Dauntless-born and keep my attention on Four and Lauren.

"Listen up!" Four says after a few quick words to the other trainer. "Dauntless-born and Transfers will be combined for the next two phases of initiation." A few groans can be heard amongst the initiates, but for the most part we're all silent. _Good. I need to know where I rank amongst the whole, not just the transfers. _"Remember, the next stage is mental and will begin tomorrow morning. You'll meet Lauren in the Pit after breakfast. Don't be late." He pauses to wait for a collective nod of understanding from the group.

"Now, we don't want you to quit your physical training. You still need to keep up and improve your skills. In order to do this, we encourage you to work together. Learn from each other – yes, there is a lot that you can learn from each other," Four says over the protests of a few Dauntless-borns. "It takes a lot of guts to transfer to Dauntless. A lot more than simply choosing to stay home. You lot should remember that. Also, there is much a transfer can learn from the experience, knowledge, and determination to succeed that the Dauntless-born have."

"I think you should be paired up," Lauren cuts in with a mad gleam in her eyes. "We could combine the dorms even. Eat, sleep, and train with your new partner. Only a few of you will make a new friend, I bet. Some of you might just try to kill each other. Wait, who am I kidding? We already know there's at least one person with bloodlust amongst the transfers." She pauses and looks pointedly at the middle of the initiate pack. Peter, Molly, and Drew are standing there clearly unamused. "Whoever is paired with those three really needs to watch their back."

"Which is why I think you're old enough to determine what's personally beneficial to yourselves," Four takes over. "Take this afternoon to get to know each other. Use this training room. Spar, but don't fight. Throwing knives, but no guns."

"No butter knives either," Lauren interjects then quickly clamps her mouth shut at the harsh look Four is giving her.

"Just get to know each other and practice. That's it," Four rolls his eyes and marches out of the room closely followed by a smirking Lauren.

As soon as the training room doors close, there is mass movement to my right followed by three loud thuds. Peter, Molly, and Drew were slammed against the wall by the Dauntless-born.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" I hear Peter exclaim.

He's closely followed in protest by Molly, "Get off me you little she-devil!"

Drew on the other hand is quiet. As I move to a better angle, I can see why he hasn't uttered a word. A butter knife is now precariously close to his left eye. He's eyeing it warily and staying still as a statue. Peter and Molly quiet down for a second as they two are subjected to the threat of butter knives.

While one big guy easily subdued Drew, the girl holding onto Molly is half her size. She's incredibly strong, though, and has Molly in an iron grip. _Impressive. _The girl looks particularly intimidating given her bald head and the murderous gleam in her eyes. _Judging by the look on Molly's face, she's going to piss her pants any second. _

Peter, on the other hand, doesn't even look frightened. He has an angry scowl on his face and seems to be ignoring the knife completely. _Angry telling off in three, two, one…_"Let go before I beat your ass!" Peter demands. He tries to shove the Dauntless-born currently holding him against the wall backwards. Another guy steps up to help the first. They each take a side, hold one of Peter's arms down, and each stand on a foot so he can't kick out at them. _And this whole time that knife hasn't moved from its position right above Peter's left eyeball. That takes skill. _

"Good afternoon to three of our four remaining Candor transfers. There must be some confusion in that faction about what it means to be Dauntless. So its our job as your fellow initiates and Dauntless-borns to set the record straight. The manhandling and butter knife visual are just a friendly reminder for why this lesson is needed" a tall, muscular guy steps up and takes command. _He's some weird crossbreed of a game show host and a school principal. _"First off, I'm Uriah," he says as he starts pacing in front of the three amigos. "I am the first-ranked out of the Dauntless-born," Uriah pauses and turns to the three with a smirk. "But before you guys get any evil thoughts about trying to off me in my sleep, just be aware that most Dauntless sleep armed." He turns to me and the remaining transfers that I just noticed had moved next to me, "you all should really consider doing that. It doesn't sound like our leadership are moving the deranged ones out of your dorm anytime soon. Just in case, " he shrugs before continuing his pacing. _Good advice delivered very strangely. Is this guy nuts?_

"We're here defending our honor. Our pride. Our Dauntlessness, if you will." Christina snorts next to me, and I can see a smirk growing on Will's face. "You three took part in the most cowardly act any of us have heard of happening in Dauntless in our lifetimes." He starts ticking their offenses off on his fingers. "First, you forgot that Dauntless defend the defenseless, not attack the sleeping." Another snort from Christina, and Tris is biting her lip to keep from smiling. "Second, you besmirched our good name by attacking out of spite and jealousy. Instead, you should have trained harder and learned to fight better so that you could be ranked first and be considered the best (well…out of the transfers of course)." A few of the Dauntless-born chuckle along with him. "You lazily sought to annihilate the competition when their back was turned. Third, you are so cutthroat that you forgot that your fellow initiates could become your fellow Dauntless members. You could be on the same patrol in a matter of weeks. Any of us could be on that patrol detail with you. NONE of us would want to be on that team because we couldn't trust you. How could we, when all we know about you is that you tried to take out a fellow team member with a butter knife." Here he pauses his pacing and faces Peter, Molly, and Drew fully. "Seriously? Why a butter knife, though? That's an odd choice."

"Uriah!" an exasperated voice shouts from behind him.

"What? I'm really curious about that!" he says. The girl puts her hands on her hips and shakes her head at him. Christina is outright giggling now. "Ok, fine. I'll save that question for later. Now where was I?" he says almost to himself. _I no longer think my loss of an eye will keep me from being ranked first. If this is the best they've got, it will be a piece of cake. _

"Finishing up number three," Tris supplies helpfully. She looks like she is trying not to laugh along with Christina. Even Will's shoulders are shaking as he's trying to keep his amusement internal.

"Ahh, thanks, Tris. See, she is a good transfer. You three could learn a lot from her." Molly is glaring daggers at Tris now, and Peter's face is a deep red. _I'm surprised steam isn't coming out of his ears. The worst thing Uriah could have done was compare them to Tris! Ha, this guy is a riot. _Uriah continues, "Four, you forgot about the Dauntless members. They talk. They talk a lot. And what they are talking about the most now is what is happening with initiation. Our families want to know how we're doing. The other members want to know what the transfers are like. Just wait until they get wind of what you three have been up to during initiation. You think they won't care? You think they won't remember? Think again. We have long memories for cowardice in this faction. And you, my not-friends, are the definition of cowards. You are devious, yes. Sneaky, that too. Liars, I would bet. You might not belong in Candor, but you sure as hell do not belong in Dauntless."

Peter finds his voice again, "There is no way you can prove we stabbed Edward. There were six of us in the dorms last night."

"I sure as hell didn't do it to myself, Peter" I growl out. "No way in hell did Myra do it."

"You so sure?" he asks me smugly. "You're sure she didn't do it to make you be factionless with her?"

The thought of him even thinking Myra would do such a thing makes my blood boil. "Listen dickhead, just because you couldn't get a date without paying a girl for it doesn't mean every woman is as mercenary. Besides, Myra doesn't have the strength to overpower me – even when I was half asleep. So get that twisted thought out of your head."

Peter shrugs, "there's still Al."

Al's friends all scoff, as does Uriah, surprisingly. "The lumbering buffoon did it? Rather convenient charge considering he's no longer here."

"Why would Al do such a thing?" Tris pipes up. "Besides he was miserable just knocking out Will during their fight. He didn't want to hurt anyone else. There's no way he would attack Edward."

"Desperation makes people do crazy things," Peter sneers.

"Like take out the competition so you could be first?" Will counters.

"You're just trying to shift the blame from you and your cronies, Peter" Christina interjects. "Give it up. You three have been sick, twisted and evil since we were kids."

I jump in as Peter starts his no doubt scathing retort to his fellow ex-Candor. "There is one possible way to tell." Heads snap to look at me in shock. _They didn't think I would let them handle this interrogation without my input, did they? Ha! I was the who lost an eye. Screw their "Dauntless pride". I rather have my own brand of justice. _I see Peter eyeing me questioningly as I slowly walk toward the three still pressed up against the training room wall. "I woke up just before the knife went into my eye and struggled with the perpetrator. That scumbag left me with this," I remove the black eyepatch covering my bandaged eye and peel back the gauze to reveal the bruised, bloodied, stitched up, eyeless socket. "Get a good look," I say as I lean forward into each of their faces. Drew shuts his eyes in disgust. I can sense the fear pouring off of him. Molly cringes and looks like she's about to hurl. _I give her credit for looking, though_. Peter just continues to glare defiantly at everybody in the vicinity. His reaction amuses me, so I decide to taunt him. "I'm still here, Peter. I was better than you before and that kept you awake at night. Now I'm still better than you, and I'll give you nightmares." He wisely stays silent as I raise the sleeves of his hoodie to reveal perfectly unblemished wrists. _Pity, though I already doubted Peter would get his hands dirty. He probably either simply told Drew to do it, or he knew just what to say to Al to get that fool to do his bidding. _Molly's short-sleeves don't show the marks on her wrists that I'm looking for either. _That doesn't surprise me. She doesn't have the strength to fight me off and forcefully shove the knife into my eye. _

"What are you looking for?" asks one of the Dauntless-borns as I head back over to Drew.

"Bruising around the wrists on one arm. I grabbed my attacker's wrist and tried to push them off. Unfortunately, my half-asleep state, their large size and strength, and their weapon in the hand other than the one I grabbed made them the victor of this round." I pull up Drews' right sleeve to reveal quite a lot of bruising up the length of his forearm. His left sleeve hid deep scratches and more bruising. _These don't all look fresh, though. Its too widespread to be from me alone. _"Wow, Drew, you're pretty messed up, but I can't tell if I did it or not. It doesn't make you off the hook though," I grin at Drew's momentary relief. "You don't take a dump without Peter's say so. No way you would attack me on your own. Besides, what benefit would you have gotten out of it? As much as I would enjoy pushing that knife forward," I nod toward the butter knife still being held above one of his eyes. "I don't think you deserve that. Well, not like I did either. Right?" I grin, and Drew gulps audibly. _I must look pretty menacing with this horrific wound on full display. Huh, a good scare tactic to keep in mind. _

I turn to the group at large and see mixed reactions. Most of the Dauntless-borns seem to be eyeing me as warily as the three idiots behind me. The rest just look confused. My fellow faction transfers on the other hand have different expressions. Christina seems to be torn between disgust at looking at me and glee at seeing the other ex-Candors in this situation. Will is calculating. I can practically see the wheels spinning in his head. His eyes keep shifting from Peter to Drew to an unknown spot on the floor. The frown on his face is deepening the more he thinks. _I'll wager he's reached the same conclusion that I have. _Tris has her arms folded over her chest while she chews her lip in thought. She doesn't seem angry or confused. Instead, she seems worried. When our eyes lock, though, she doesn't look at me in disgust or with fear. There's a bit of pity there (_which I don't want) _but there's mostly acceptance. _Huh, Myra kept telling me there was more to the Stiff than meets the eye. I finally believe her. _

My focus shifts to Uriah. His face is a mask that is the total opposite of the jovial guy speaking earlier. He seems to be taking my measure. _I'm not a pushover Uriah, and I won't go down without more of a fight. Get used to it. _I nod at the three behind me, "Peter's the ringleader and the one everyone should watch out for. The rest are sheep doing his bidding. Let them go; take out an eye or two," I shrug, "I don't care. The day will come when I get my revenge." I head over to the knife throwing stations on the far wall and listen to the whispers that break out in my wake.

Uriah's voice can be heard over the din. "Peter, Molly, Drew, consider this your one and only warning. We'll be watching you." With that, they're released, and the initiates start spreading throughout the training space. No one has ventured near the knives yet, so I try to put the bandage and eye patch back on as inconspicuously as possible. Unfortunately, fate has other plans, and I can't get it on quite right. The pain killers which had me a bit light-headed earlier are fading. The pain is increasing along with my lack of coordination.

"Its twisted in the back," a voice says from behind me. "I can fix it if you'd like," I now recognize Tris' voice. _Of course, the ex-Abnegation would be the one to offer help_.

"Can you reach?" I ask a bit meanly.

She huffs behind me. "Yes, I can. Would you like help or not?"

I sigh. _She's the only one brave enough to come near me today, and she helped me last night. I should take it easy on her. _"Yes, I would. Thank you." Tris fumbles a bit but manages to untangle the mess I made.

"There, that should be more comfortable," she says. "I'm going to throw some knives, if you don't mind. I need to remind myself that I can be Dauntless at something," Tris almost mumbles as she steps around me and picks up a few blades. _Huh, the first jumper doesn't think she's very Dauntless. Not many Abnegation transfer to begin with, and she chose the most opposite faction to go to. Why? _I watch her throw a few times while I continue pondering the anomaly that is Tris. _Brave enough to choose Dauntless; brave enough to jump first._ The thud of the knives against the wood grain of the targets remind me of our first day throwing knives. _Selfless enough to volunteer in Al's place. Selfless enough to help me last night. Equally brave; equally selfless. EQUALLY Brave; EQUALLY Selfless. Both! She's like Myra!_

"Divergent," I say aloud.

The knife Tris was about to throw slips out of her grasp. She turns to me in surprise. _There's fear in her eyes, too. _"What did you say?"

"You heard me. Don't try to deny it," I tell her over the protest she is attempting to make and move closer to her. "We need to talk. Alone." 


End file.
